Next steps in research on aggression in borderline personality disorder: Commentary on "Aggression in borderline...

Comments on the article by F. Mancke et al. (see record 2015-31349-001). The article proposes a multidimensional model of aggression in borderline personality disorder (BPD) on the basis of an overview of empirical studies supporting the proposed dimensions. We applaud the authors for the timeliness of this piece and their comprehensive summary of the empirical literature on aggression in BPD. We highlight several issues for further attention and study. We first discuss the proposed multidimensional model itself with an emphasis on the choice of constructs, clinical applications, and limitations. We acknowledge the importance of this first step in model-building (i.e., the identification of potentially important dimensions as inferred from variable-focused, group-based comparisons). However, we encourage the necessary next steps-a movement toward a mechanistic and dynamic understanding of these dimensions that relies more heavily on a person-centered approach and enhances clinical relevance. In that spirit, we make some suggestions for future research on aggression in BPD that may have increased translational value for prevention and intervention.