Perception of Self in Borderline States

The borderline state may be better described in terms of defective ego functioning than as a clearly delineated symptom cluster. The concepts of "ego boundary" and "sense of identity" are used here to emphasize one area of defective ego functioning—pathology in the perception of self—and to demonstrate its importance in behavioral patterns associated with the borderline state. Therapy should be focused upon clarification of the patient's distortions in self-perception by strengthening his sense of separateness, individuality, and historical continuity and by helping him to form a clearer picture of the meaningful people in his life.