Agnew Gillian, Shannon Ciarán, Ryan Tina, Storey Lesley, McDonnell Catherine
School of Psychology, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK.
Southern Health and Social Care Trust, Northern Ireland, UK;
Int J Qual Stud Health Well-being. 2016 Mar 23;11:30490. doi: 10.3402/qhw.v11.30490. eCollection 2016.
Identity disturbance has been suggested to be a core feature of borderline personality disorder (BPD). However, there is little known about the identity of individuals with symptoms of BPD from the participant's perspective. This study availed of in-depth lightly structured life story interviews with five female participants. Thematic analysis was utilized to derive three themes of identity: connection, distance between us, and hurt and healing. Results provided support for multiple and flexible conceptualizations of identity in comparison to the idea of a unitary self/identity. Results also suggested that participants were able to establish differing connections to others ranging from disconnection to intimacy and care. Participants reported that their identities were impacted upon by historical and current family/relationship dysfunction, but life stories also illustrated the positive impact of healing relationship experiences. Findings provide support for psychological theories that consider a multiple and relational self/identity and the empowerment of healthy aspects of the self in BPD recovery. Studies that assess the association between insight and change may further our knowledge into this complex population.
身份认同障碍被认为是边缘型人格障碍（BPD）的一个核心特征。然而，从参与者的角度来看，对于有BPD症状个体的身份认同却知之甚少。本研究对五名女性参与者进行了深入的、结构较为宽松的生活故事访谈。采用主题分析法得出了身份认同的三个主题：联系、我们之间的距离以及伤害与治愈。与单一自我/身份认同的观点相比，研究结果支持了身份认同的多重性和灵活性概念。结果还表明，参与者能够与他人建立从疏离到亲密和关怀等不同的联系。参与者报告称，他们的身份认同受到历史和当前家庭/关系功能失调的影响，但生活故事也说明了治愈性关系经历的积极影响。研究结果为那些考虑多重和关系性自我/身份认同以及在BPD康复过程中增强自我健康方面的心理学理论提供了支持。评估洞察力与改变之间关联的研究可能会进一步增进我们对这一复杂人群的了解。
