The Experience of Emotions in Individuals Diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder: Childhood and Present-Day Reflections

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Ayan O. E., İNÖZÜ MERMERKAYA M., DEMİRSÖZ T.

AYNA KLINIK PSIKOLOJI DERGISI-AYNA CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY JOURNAL, cilt.13, sa.2, ss.437-472, 2026 (ESCI, TRDizin)

Özet

The aim of this qualitative study is to examine how emotions are experienced by individuals diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), with reference to childhood experiences and current manifestations. The sample consisted of six adult women aged 21-44 who were receiving outpatient treatment and had been diagnosed with BPD according to DSM-5 criteria. Single-session semi-structured interviews were conducted, audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using MAXQDA. Data were evaluated through Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Findings indicated that childhood narratives clustered around two superordinate themes: "parental responses that leave no room for emotions" and " expressing feelings when no one is there to respond." The first theme captured invalidating reactions such as minimization, punishment, low tolerance for negative affect, as well as personal boundary violations and the sharing of private information with third parties. The second theme reflected how emotions were often not verbalized; in contexts where emotional experiences were anticipated to receive "no response," feelings were kept inside, while intense anger at times escalated into destructive expressions of emotion involving self-or other-directed harm. In their current lives, participants reported intense, rapidly shifting, and overlapping emotions that create inner chaos and make it difficult to make sense of their feelings. They also described withdrawal in emotional sharing, conditional self-disclosure limited to relationships perceived as safe and nonjudgmental, and occasional destructive expressions that insufficiently consider the other person. Overall, the findings align with contemporary models, including the biosocial framework and mentalization-based perspectives, which emphasize the interplay between invalidating environments and emotion regulation difficulties in BPD.