A THEORETICAL STUDY AND EMPIRICAL REVIEW OF BORDERLINE CHILDREN: DELINEATION OF CHARACTERISTICS WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE EFFECTS OF EARLY STRESS AND MATERNAL EMOTIONAL UNAVAILABILITY ON OBJECT RELATIONS AND ON EGO AND DEFENSIVE STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION.
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Title
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A THEORETICAL STUDY AND EMPIRICAL REVIEW OF BORDERLINE CHILDREN: DELINEATION OF CHARACTERISTICS WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE EFFECTS OF EARLY STRESS AND MATERNAL EMOTIONAL UNAVAILABILITY ON OBJECT RELATIONS AND ON EGO AND DEFENSIVE STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION.
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Identifier
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AAI8312374
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identifier
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8312374
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Creator
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SOWLEY, CHRISTOPHER AUGUSTUS.
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Contributor
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Prof. Steven J. Ellman
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Date
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1983
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Psychology, Clinical
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Abstract
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This study attempted to clarify the borderline child's characteristics and argued that experiential disturbances in infancy can account for those characteristics. A literature review found that though much diagnostic and theoretical disagreement exists, most of the positions advocated can be seen to share common elements: that the borderline child (a) experiences a markedly disturbed symbiotic phase, (b) achieves some awareness of the object's separateness and of his own helplessness, but (c) is so unprepared for these discoveries that he cannot resolve the issues central to the rapprochement subphase (the establishment of discrete and "whole" self and object representations which normally eventuates in a stable libidinal object constancy and a coherent identity formation) and (d) chronically undergoes episodic and severe regression, during which self and object representations become further fused or confused. Consideration of this view prompted speculation that experiential factors might at least strongly contribute to the borderline child's essential difficulties. A review of the wider child literature found that many effects that have been attributed to early experiences of excessive stress and maternal failure are consistent with the borderline child's presenting difficulties, including a shallowness of libidinal attachments with unstable and poorly formed object representations, tendencies for withdrawal, excessive ambivalence and rage, an inconsistent and atypical relation to reality with the persistence of infantile omnipotence, a proneness to regression and to extremes of affective expression, and excessive anxiety and feelings of vulnerability. An analysis of 51 published case histories of bordeline children found some general features that seemed to distinguish them from other clinical entities. By partitioning these cases according to the experiential factors they seemed to have been exposed to, evidence was found indicating that the particular nature of early experience has differential implications for the borderline child's presenting picture. Specifically, early stress appeared to provoke elevated symptomatology, experienced vulnerability, and compulsivity, while maternal emotional unavailability--in the absence of stress-provoking factors--appeared to be associated with minimal presenting disturbance but also with features suggestive of affective and motoric constriction.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Psychology
