BPD And Identity Disturbance :
We have seen from other articles that I have published on this site that one of the defining symptoms of borderline personality disorder (a condition strongly associated with childhood trauma) is identity disturbance. In other words, many individuals with BPD have an unstable self-image and no firm sense of their identity ; they may sum up such issues by using expressions such as : ‘I don’t know who I am.‘
Individuals suffering from identity disturbance may :
- have an unstable self-image that frequently oscillates between two extremes and an inconsistent view of self over time
- become obsessed by their appearance, even to the extent that they develop conditions such as body dysmorphic disorder and anorexia nervosa.
- lose touch with reality (dissociation)
- experience feelings of derealization and/or depersonalization
- attempt to develop an unrealistic, idealized self (e.g. trying to adopt the image of a famous movie star) only to feel empty and deficient when this inevitably fails
- act as ‘social chameleons‘ (find that, because of their weak and uncertain sense of their own identity, they mimic the behaviors, values and attitudes of those they happen to be associating with at any given time
- live by inconsistent standards and principals
- have inconsistent view of the world and their place in it
Categories Of Identity Disturbance :
Some psychologists break identity disorder associated with BPD into four categories ; these are as follows :
- ROLE ABSORPTION
- PAINFUL INCOHERENCE
- INCONSISTENCY
- LACK OF COMMITMENT
Let’s look at each of these four categories in a little more detail :
ROLE ABSORPTION :
This involves individuals with an intrinsically weak sense of their own identity desperately attempting to create one by defining themselves through a particular role or cause. This may involve adopting a different name and radically altering their world view, values and belief system. Such individuals
