A relational frame approach to perspective taking in persons with Borderline Personality Disorder

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Perspective taking is crucial for interpersonal functioning.
• Relational Frame Theory (RFT) posits deictic relational framing underlies perspective taking.
• Potential deficits in perspective taking have been suggested for individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD).

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if individuals with BPD exhibit impaired perspective taking.
• To compare performance on a computerized deictic relational task (DRT) and self-report measures between BPD and control groups.
• To explore the association between distress levels and perspective taking in the BPD group.

Main Methods:

• A mixed experimental design with 112 participants (BPD diagnosis vs. control sample).
• Utilized a computerized RFT deictic relational task (DRT) to assess perspective taking performance.
• Employed a self-report measure to gauge perceived perspective taking ability.

Main Results:

• No significant difference was found between the BPD and control groups on the computerized DRT.
• Individuals with BPD self-reported significantly poorer perspective taking abilities compared to controls.
• Distress levels (overall and relational) were not significantly associated with DRT performance or self-reported perspective taking in the BPD group.

Conclusions:

• Individuals with BPD do not show objective deficits in perspective taking performance on the DRT.
• A notable discrepancy exists between self-perceived and objectively measured perspective taking in BPD.
• Findings suggest that while individuals with BPD may feel they struggle with perspective taking, their performance on specific tasks may not reflect this perception.