Defining the construct of reactive aggression in borderline personality disorder: Commentary on "Aggression in...

Comments on the article by F. Mancke et al. (see record 2015-31349-001). The article presents a multidimensional model of aggression in the context of borderline personality disorder (BPD), with a selective review of the research literature. BPD is arguably the most widely researched personality disorder, and the review suggests that there has been extensive progress in characterizing behavioral and biological correlates of aggression. What is not clear from the review, and indeed, the broader literature, is whether the research cited in this review is specific to BPD or can generally be applied to reactive aggression in the context of other disorders (or by extension into the normative range of the behavior). The review by Mancke et al. also highlights the fact that there is a general lack of research establishing predictive validity of aggression in BPD, with most research comparing two groups sampled at one time point.