Discrepancies between explicit and implicit self-esteem are linked to symptom severity in borderline personality disorder.
The present study examined whether discrepancies between explicit and implicit self-esteem are associated with symptom severity in a sample of patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD). We hypothesized that implicit-explicit self-esteem discrepancies foster autoaggressive behavior and dysphoria, and impair self-perception. We found that the two forms of self-esteem discrepancies, damaged and fragile self-esteem were related to the severity of overall borderline symptoms, autoaggression, dysphoria, and deficits in self-perception. In contrast, more general psychopathological impairment, such as depression, was not related to self-esteem discrepancies. Taken together our results indicate that discrepancies between explicit and implicit self-esteem are associated with certain borderline symptoms that may be based on internal tension. The findings can be interpreted within the framework of self-discrepancies and dichotomous attitudes in patients with BPD.
Vater
Aline
A
Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany. aline.vater@fu-berlin.de
Schröder-Abé
Michela
M
Schütz
Astrid
A
Lammers
Claas-Hinrich
CH
Roepke
Stefan
S
D000328:Adult; D000342:Affective Symptoms; D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012649:Self Concept; D012647:Self-Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index