The Families of Borderlines

Family Structure as Recalled by Borderline Patients

“…Previous reports have, for the most part, utilized retrospective chart review to obtain data [2,3,6], One recent report did employ methodology similar to that used in this study, in that data was obtained directly from the patient [5], Subjective reports by patients of their family history reveal low sensitivity and high specificity [9]. We would expect that the borderline patient in this study may tend to underestimate the frequency and intensity of family conflict.…”

“…The father, through ab sence or aloofness, fails to prevent maternal control over the child. One recent report on the subjective impressions of borderline pa tients of their families supports the finding that patients felt their father to be less inter ested in them than comparison groups of normals and patients with neurosis or per sonality disorder [5], However, that same report, as well as that of Gunderson et al [6], fail to confirm the overinvolvcd, excessively affectionate rela tionship between the mother and the border line child. The impressions with our patients also differ from the proposal of Mahler [18] that the mother emotionally abandons the child during the rapprochement subphase of separation-individuation (16-25 months).…”

“…Gunderson et al [6] reported the mother, and to a lesser extent, the father and siblings of 12 borderline patients (8 of whom were female) to have more psychopathology com pared to relatives of paranoid schizophrenics, neurotics or patients with personality disor ders. He found one mother with schizophre nia, 7 to be 'somewhat depressed', and 'one or two' were borderline.…”

“…Gunderson et al [6] found neglect by the parental unit with poor enforcement of rules to predominate. One child was often aggrandized and the other denigrated with a resulting inconsistent and unfair application of rules to different chil dren.…”

“…Some work is grounded in family systems theory [4], Recently, several research-based studies have emerged which have attempted to delineate characteristics which may be specific to the families of borderline patients [5,6], However, they have studied mainly female populations.…”