| Abstract: | Outlines psychotherapeutic implications of previous research findings on the borderline diagnosis and subgroups of borderline patients. Developmental patterns of object relations in neurotic, borderline, and schizophrenic patients are examined. It is suggested that when Rorschach records for these psychiatric groups were scored for differentiation, articulation, integration, content, and accuracy, an ideal database for assessing an individual's representational world was developed. Findings of significant differences in the developmental level of the concept of the object, the quality of reality testing, and regressive potential that successfully distinguished hospitalized from nonhospitalized borderline patients suggest that the borderline diagnosis may be conceptualized along a continuum of severity. Case illustrations are included, involving a 17-yr-old female presenting with depression and suicidal ideation and a 36-yr-old female who felt she had been fated by her father's death. (49 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
