An integration of the views of Kernberg and Adler on borderline pathology

Kernberg's writings on borderline pathology have greatly influenced the mental health world. More recently, Adler has emerged as another psychodynamic authority on this disorder. Adler challenges Kernberg with a different conceptual framework and posits a different core problem for borderline patients. Some writers have contrasted Kernberg's "conflict" theory with Adler's "deficit" theory. The author contends that it is erroneous to contrapose Kernberg and Adler. He demonstrates that the controversy between conflict and deficit is invalid because, in the final analysis, Kernberg and Adler subscribe to theories that involve both. The author shows how their theories can be combined into an integrated model.