title: Self-concept structure and borderline personality disorder: evidence for negative compartmentalization.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is characterized by an unstable and incongruent self-concept. However, there is a dearth of empirical studies investigating self-concept in BPD. In order to bridge this research gap, the purpose of this study was to apply an in-depth analysis of structural aspects of the self-concept in BPD.
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined the degree of compartmentalization, i.e., a tendency to organize knowledge about the self into discrete, extremely valenced (i.e., either positive or negative) categories (Showers, 1992).
  
  
  RESULTS
  We hypothesized and found that BPD patients had the most compartmentalized self-concept structure and a higher proportion of negative self-attributes relative to both a non-clinical and a depressed control group. Moreover, BPD patients rated negative self-aspects as more important than positive ones relative to non-clinical controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We cannot determine whether causal relationships exist between psychological symptoms and self-concept structure. Moreover, further comparisons to patients with other psychiatric disorders are necessary in order to further confirm the clinical specificity of our results.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings indicate that a negative compartmentalized self-concept is a specific feature of BPD. Implications for future research, psychological assessment, and psychotherapeutic treatment are discussed.
authors.affiliation: University of Darmstadt, Germany; Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Germany. Electronic address: aline.vater@fu-berlin.de.
authors.forename: Aline
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vater
authors.affiliation: University of Darmstadt, Germany.
authors.forename: Michela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schröder-Abé
authors.affiliation: Helios Klinikum Aue, Germany.
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Weißgerber
authors.affiliation: Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Germany; Cluster of Excellence - Languages of Emotion, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Roepke
authors.affiliation: University of Bamberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Astrid
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schütz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001290:Attitude; D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010552:Personality Assessment; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012649:Self Concept; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Borderline personality disorder; Compartmentalization; Identity disturbance; Self-concept; Splitting