The biosocial theory of Borderline Personality Disorder developed by Marsha Linehan sees the causes of Borderline Personality as threefold: biological, social, and the interaction between these two factors.
In response, Linehan developed Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), which is quite successful in helping people with Borderline Personality Disorder get relief from suffering.
What are the Biological Causes of Borderline Personality Disorder According to Linehan?
There are two types of biological causes of BPD:
- Emotional vulnerability, and;
- Difficulty modulating emotions.
Emotional Vulnerability as a BPD Cause
Someone who is emotionally vulnerable is someone whose body is very highly physically sensitive to emotions. This person may be more likely to develop Borderline Personality Disorder if certain social/family circumstances, described later in this article, also exist.
Physical sensitivity to emotions means that:
- The person's sympathetic nervous system is easily triggered by emotions;
- The reaction in the body is very intense, and;
- It takes a long time for the person's bodily response to "go back to normal" after being triggered.
This is one reason why people with Borderline Personality Disorder may experience panic attacks and other mood swings.
Emotional Modulation Problems as a Cause of Borderline Personality
Difficulty modulating emotions is the second biological cause of Borderline Personality. Difficulty modulating emotions means:
- Finding it difficult to not act immediately in response to strong emotion, even if the action is destructive;
- Being unable to continue working towards goals in the face of strong emotions;
- Being unable to make oneself feel better in the face of strong emotions, and;
- Being unable to distract oneself from strong emotions.
There is no single cause for these two biological, predispositions for Borderline Personality. For some, it could be hereditary but for others there could be other, acquired causes.
What Are the Social/Family Causes of Borderline Personality Disorder as Described by Linehan?
The type of early family environment that is seen to contribute to Borderline Personality Disorder is called, "the invalidating environment."
An invalidating environment is described by the following examples:
- If a child reports that he is hungry he is told that he is not hungry, he just ate. i.e. his inner experience is invalidated.
- When a child expresses upset, the family does not pay attention, or tells him he's making a big deal about it.
- The child's beliefs, thoughts and preferences and ideas are not sought or taken seriously.
- The child's emotions are not considered to be important communications and are not responded to or do not result in the child's needs getting met.
- The child is blamed for her painful experiences and such experiences are trivialized.
- The child is discriminated against based on arbitrary characteristics such as gender.
- Punishment is used to control behavior, from criticism up to physical and sexual abuse. A history of sexual abuse is seen in approximately 75% of people with Borderline Personality Disorder, according to Marsha Linehan.
Some of the elements of the invalidating environment (but not abuse) can actually be useful and helpful to some children at some times. But Borderline Personality is seen to be caused by the combination of a biological vulnerability as described above, with ongoing invalidation as described here.
The presence of a high physical sensitivity to emotions and difficulty modulating emotions predisposes people to Borderline Personality Disorder.
When the family environment is invalidating, the physical sensitivity and invalidating environment interact with each other and can cause Borderline Personality Disorder. Effective treatment, especially Dialectical Behavior Therapy is available.
Related Reading on Psychology
Readers may also enjoy Do I Have Borderline Personality Disorder? which explains the symptoms experienced by those with Borderline Personality Disorder.
Sources:
- Linehan, Marsha M. Skills Training Manual for Treating Borderline Personality Disorder, New York: The Guilford Press, 1993.
This article is for general information only. Anyone experiencing troubling symptoms should consult a mental health professional in person.
Lisa C. DeLuca - Lisa C. DeLuca is a psychotherapist/social worker who works with families and teens. She also treats panic and anxiety disorders.
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