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Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) - Coggle Diagram
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)
Clinical Definition (DSM-5) [GREEN]
Instability in relationships
Instability in self-image
Instability in emotions
Impulsivity
Pattern begins early adulthood
DSM-5 Criteria (5 of 9) [GREEN]
Fear of abandonment
Unstable, intense relationships (idealisation → devaluation)
Identity disturbance
Impulsivity in harmful areas (spending, sex, substances, food)
Suicidal behaviour or non-suicidal self-injury
Affective instability / mood swings
Chronic emptiness
Intense or inappropriate anger
Paranoia or dissociation under stress
Lived Experience: Child of a Parent with BPD [PINK]
Emotional unpredictability
Small triggers → huge emotional reactions
Blamed for parent's internal pain
Rage, rejection, turned others against me
Sent away unexpectedly ("monster" narrative)
Villain Role [PINK]
Trigger → I become the threat
My feelings made storms worse
Learned to silence emotions
Hypervigilance
Sudden Flip into Idealisation [PINK]
Storm ends instantly
Warmth returns ("Hello darling…")
No acknowledgment of rupture
Emotional whiplash
Parentification [PINK]
Became emotional adult
Managing siblings
Cooking, cleaning
Regulating mother's emotions
Doing everything "right"
Giving Up Trying [PINK]
Could not stay in "good" role
Accepted scapegoat position
Family stability improved when blame stayed on me
Formation of self around blame
Attachment Impact [PINK]
Anxious attachment (romantic)
Avoidant attachment (women)
Fear of upsetting others
Suppressed needs
Identity shaped by survival
Psychological Concepts Explaining These Dynamics [BLUE]
Splitting (Kernberg)
All good / all bad views of others
Rapid switches
Inability to hold mixed feelings
Idealisation / Devaluation (Masterson)
Saviour → villain cycle
Seen in parent–child + therapy relationships
Projective Identification (Klein, Ogden)
Parent projects old trauma onto child
Child becomes container for parent's pain
Emotional reality feels true to parent
Biosocial Model (Linehan)
High emotional sensitivity
Invalidating environment
Emotion dysregulation patterns
Trainee Therapist Lens [PURPLE]
Understanding storms are not about me
Client may idealise or reject me
Intensity reflects historical wounds
My role (as trainee) with supervision:
Stay steady
Boundaries + consistency
Avoid rescuer role
Avoid defending against villain role
Therapy aim:
Offer corrective relationship
Support integration of split parts
Closing Reflection [GREY]
BPD is not manipulation
It is overwhelming pain expressed relationally
Patterns rooted in trauma + attachment
Understanding both sides creates compassion
Therapeutic stability supports he