Open AccessDysfunction of Empathy and Related Processes in Borderline Personality Disorder: A Systematic Review
Author(s) -
Rui M. Salgado,
Raquel Pedrosa,
António J. Bastos-Leite
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
harvard review of psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.242
H-Index - 78
eISSN - 1465-7309
pISSN - 1067-3229
DOI - 10.1097/hrp.0000000000000260
Subject(s) - empathy , interpersonal reactivity index , borderline personality disorder , psychology , personal distress , mentalization , cognition , interpersonal communication , distress , clinical psychology , personality , developmental psychology , psychiatry , perspective taking , social psychology
After participating in this activity, learners should be better able to:• Assess differences between adult patients with the diagnosis of borderline personality disorder (BPD) and healthy control subjects in terms of empathy and related processes• Evaluate the effects of empathy or related processes as factors contributing to abnormal social functioning in BPD ABSTRACT: We reviewed 45 original research studies, published between 2000 and 2019, to assess differences between adult patients with the diagnosis of borderline personality disorder (BPD) and healthy control subjects in terms of empathy and related processes (i.e., theory of mind, mentalizing, social cognition, and emotional intelligence). Thirty-six studies reported deficits of empathy or related processes in patients with BPD. Enhanced emotional empathy in BPD was also reported in eight studies, all of which revealed that patients had increased scores of personal distress on the Interpersonal Reactivity Index self-report questionnaire. Six studies did not find significant differences between patients with BPD and healthy control subjects in terms of empathy or related processes. No study reported enhanced cognitive empathy, social cognition, or emotional intelligence in patients with BPD. We postulate that deficits of empathy or related processes contribute to preempting the formation of stable interpersonal relationships, whereas enhanced emotional empathy might lead to personal (and interpersonal) distress, further contributing to abnormal social functioning in BPD.