Personality factors that predict BPD

The diagnosis of borderline personality disorder (BPD) is predicated upon the notion that those who suffer from it have aspects of their personalities which are problematic, self-defeating and dysfunctional so, in the first instance, it is useful to explain what is meant by personality.

In fact, there are several theories which attempt to describe what personality is rather than one, definitive theory and one of the best-known theories is called the five-factor model of personality.

The 5 factor model of personality proposes that personality comprises 5 main factors/traits/characteristics, represented by the acronym OCEAN.

These 5 factors are shown and elucidated upon below :

Openness To Experience (inventive/curious versus consistent / cautious). Conscientiousness (efficient/organized versus easy-going / careless). Extraversion (outgoing/energetic versus solitary/reserved). Agreeableness (friendly/compassionate versus challenging/detached). Stability/Neuroticism (sensitive/nervous versus secure/confident).

Because, as already stated, a diagnosis of BPD is based on the idea that aspects of the diagnosed person's personality are disturbed we would expect there to be some relationship between this model of personality and the personalities of those suffering from BPD.

In relation to this, researchers have posed the question: to what degree can a diagnosis of BPD be predicted from a description of a person's personality based upon the 5-factor model?

One study (Distel et al., 2009) that sought to answer this question, involving over 10,000 participants in total, found that, in terms of the 5-factor model, the traits that best predicted BPD were :

High Neuroticism combined with Low Conscientiousness

Another study (Kendler et al., 2011) came up with similar results, finding that the three factors which correlated most highly with BPD were :

High Neuroticism Low Conscientiousness Low Agreeableness

A third study (Terr, 1991) found that individuals who had suffered significant childhood trauma (extremely common among BPD sufferers) scored more highly than controls on :

Neuroticism Openness to new experience.

Research carried out by Gutierrez et al. (2000) suggested that seven fundamental aspects of personality that, when they become disturbed, dysfunctional and maladaptive (e.g. due to childhood trauma), make up the foundations on which personality disorders may develop. (though, of course, to be diagnosed with any one particular personality disorder not all seven aspects of personality need to be functionally impaired. However, which of the seven aspects are impaired, and in which combinations, will contribute to the determination of the particular personality disorder).

Antagonism  Compulsivity Detachment Disinhibition Negative affect  Psychoticism  Submissiveness

The above is of particular interest as there is a growing feeling within certain sectors of the medical profession that, rather than labelling people with potentially stigmatizing labels (such as borderline personality disorder) it may be better from a patient's point for the therapist to describe his/her difficulties with reference to the above seven personality aspects. This also has the benefit of providing the patient with specific personality traits and behaviours that s/he may benefit from working on and giving him/her greater insight into the source of his/her difficulties.

Studies suggest there is a genetic component that contributes to an individual's chances of developing BPD during adulthood. This, in turn, suggests (but does not prove) that certain behavioural aspects/traits of BPD may well have been adaptive for our ancestors (i.e. helped them to cope with their environment, to survive, and, ultimately, therefore, to reproduce in certain situations). Let's look at examples of why this may have been the case.

EXAMPLE 1: SOCIAL AVOIDANCE:

One aspect of personality pathology can be social avoidance e.g socially avoidant personality disorder and BPD (during phases of withdrawal) This trait could have helped our ancestors survive if they lived in an environment in which there existed many dangerous strangers.

EXAMPLE 2: IMPULSIVE BEHAVIOUR:

Many individuals suffering from BPD are highly impulsive. If a person is impulsive, it means s/he tends to react very quickly to an array of stimuli. Thus, in environments in which danger could suddenly come out of nowhere (like being unexpectedly attacked by a predator), lighting fast reactions would help to increase the individual's chances of survival.

EXAMPLE 3: AGGRESSION

One main symptom of BPD is a propensity to fly into intense rages and become (usually verbally) aggressive. Again, for our ancestors, aggression helped them to survive and reproduce. Indeed, violence was necessary as there was no police force to protect people and food and resources could sometimes only be gained by the means of fighting. Even during the last century, anthropologists studied a tribe of very violent hunter-gatherers and found that those who had committed homicide lived longer and reproduced more than less violent members of the tribe.

It stands to reason that individuals who both inherit traits relevant to BPD AND grow up in a dysfunctional environment (constituting a ''double-whammy) are at especially increased risk of developing BPD compared to both those who inherit similar traits but experience a stable and loving childhood and those who do not inherit BPD-related traits but experience a traumatic and stressful childhood. 

It follows, of course, that if a parent has BPD, the child is at significantly increased risk of developing BPD him/herself as s/he may both inherit predisposing personality traits and grow up in a harmful environment.