David Baxter PhD
Late Founder
Perception is (or can be) everything!
Florida Borderline Personality Disorder Association
December 27, 2008
Many thanks go out to PhD-candidate Edward Selby at Florida State University in Tallahassee for being kind enough to send us his important research on borderline personality disorder.
The Journal of Family Psychology recently published Features of Borderline Personality Disorder, Perceived Childhood Emotional Invalidation, and Dysfunction Within Current Romantic Relationships.
Along with his colleagues, Mr. Selby writes:
The perception of an invalidating environment in childhood really can mean an adulthood that is spent striving to connect, fit in, and be a part of a successful relationship where the vital need for validation can be met in a safe environment.
1 For parents, spouses, and loved ones who would like to learn validation skills, the Google Group Anything to Stop the Pain is an excellent place to start.
Florida Borderline Personality Disorder Association
December 27, 2008
Many thanks go out to PhD-candidate Edward Selby at Florida State University in Tallahassee for being kind enough to send us his important research on borderline personality disorder.
The Journal of Family Psychology recently published Features of Borderline Personality Disorder, Perceived Childhood Emotional Invalidation, and Dysfunction Within Current Romantic Relationships.
Along with his colleagues, Mr. Selby writes:
Although emotional invalidation has not been explored much in research, there is some evidence that childhood emotional invalidation1 may play a role in BPD interpersonal dysfunction. For example, Klonsky, Oltmanns, Turkheimer, Fiedler (2000) found that individuals with features of BPD reported increased feelings of conflict with parents and less BPD features in young adults and found that support from their families during childhood, even after controlling for general personality pathology. Furthermore, patients with BPD tend to report decreased parental support and involvement (Zanarini et al., 1997). There are a number of plausible ways in which childhood emotional invalidation may contribute to poor relationship functioning in individuals with symptoms of BPD. For example, the experience of childhood emotional invalidation may interfere with the development of social problem-solving skills, leaving individuals who later develop symptoms of BPD without knowledge of appropriate ways to handle difficulties within romantic relationships (Bray, Barrowclough, & Lobban, 2007). This may be because reasonable attempts at social problem-solving (such as trying to communicate a problem) are discouraged or punished in an invalidating environment, forcing individuals with BPD to resort to extreme strategies such as threatening or pleading.
Of course, it?s vital for parents and caregivers to remember an invalidating environment can be simply one where attempts at meaningful communication and understanding are met with responses such as, ?No one else in the family feels that way!? or ?You?re just being too emotional.? A child who is not inclined toward borderline personality disorder may be able to respond appropriately but for about 2% of the population, hearing ?No one else in the family feels that way!? means that they are inherently wrong, bad, or simply not living up to the family?s expectations.The perception of an invalidating environment in childhood really can mean an adulthood that is spent striving to connect, fit in, and be a part of a successful relationship where the vital need for validation can be met in a safe environment.
1 For parents, spouses, and loved ones who would like to learn validation skills, the Google Group Anything to Stop the Pain is an excellent place to start.
