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Cited by 1,292Personality Disorders and PsychopathologyChild and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional DevelopmentPersonality Traits and Psychology

A biosocial developmental model of borderline personality: Elaborating and extending linehan’s theory.

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Crowell, Sheila E., Beauchaine, Theodore P., Linehan, Marsha M.·2009·Psychological Bulletin
DOI 10.1037/a0015616PMC PMC2696274
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Abstract

Over the past several decades, research has focused increasingly on developmental precursors to psychological disorders that were previously assumed to emerge only in adulthood. This change in focus follows from the recognition that complex transactions between biological vulnerabilities and psychosocial risk factors shape emotional and behavioral development beginning at conception. To date, however, empirical research on the development of borderline personality is extremely limited. Indeed, in the decade since M. M. Linehan initially proposed a biosocial model of the development of borderline personality disorder, there have been few attempts to test the model among at-risk youth. In this review, diverse literatures are reviewed that can inform understanding of the ontogenesis of borderline pathology, and testable hypotheses are proposed to guide future research with at-risk children and adolescents. One probable pathway is identified that leads to borderline personality disorder; it begins with early vulnerability, expressed initially as impulsivity and followed by heightened emotional sensitivity. These vulnerabilities are potentiated across development by environmental risk factors that give rise to more extreme emotional, behavioral, and cognitive dysregulation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved).

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Crossref · 10.1037/a0015616

Cites

180 of 180 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • A dimensional, trait-based perspective holds that BPD traits are distributed continuously in the normal population and denote psychopathology only at the severe end.

    “A dimensional, trait-based perspective suggests instead that BPD traits may be distributed continuously within the normal population and may denote psychopathology only at the severe end [15–17].”

    From First evidence of a prospective relation between avoidance of internal states and borderline personality disorder features in adolescents. (2015) · cites this paper as [17]

    In “Terminological and Conceptual Issues” (page unavailable), the paper describes borderline-like traits in people who do not meet full BPD criteria. It does not say that those traits are continuously distributed in the normal population or that they denote psychopathology only at the severe end. (LLM, conf=0.78)

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  • Linehan's biosocial theory proposes that a child with a genetically based, emotionally reactive temperament faces greater risk for BPD if raised in an invalidating early environment.

    “She posits that children with a genetically based, emotionally sensitive, and reactive temperament are at an elevated risk of developing BPD when reared in an invalidating (e.g., neglectful, abusive, and/or dismissive) early environment.”

    From First evidence of a prospective relation between avoidance of internal states and borderline personality disorder features in adolescents. (2015) · cites this paper as [17]

  • Such invalidating environments do not teach adequate emotion management, so the person often uses short-term avoidance strategies when unpleasant internal states arise.

    “These environments fail to impart adequate emotion management skills, so the individual often resorts to short-term avoidance strategies (e.g., self-harm, impulsive behavior) when experiencing unpleasant internal states.”

    From First evidence of a prospective relation between avoidance of internal states and borderline personality disorder features in adolescents. (2015) · cites this paper as [17]

  • Early rejection experiences proposed to underlie rejection sensitivity may overlap within invalidating environments frequently observed in the childhood of people with Borderline Personality Disorder.

    “Furthermore, the early rejection experiences proposed to underlie RS may overlap within the invalidating environments frequently observed in the childhood of people with BPD (Ball & Links, 2009;Crowell, Beauchaine, & Linehan, 2009).”

    From The link between rejection sensitivity and borderline personality disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis (2019) · cites this paper as Crowell, Beauchaine, & Linehan, 2009

  • Childhood neglect, abuse and trauma are proposed to negatively impact the foundational relational processes that foster healthy emotion regulation during early childhood development.

    “childhood neglect, abuse and trauma, all of which are proposed to negatively impact the foundational relational processes that foster healthy emotion regulation during early childhood development (Cole et al., 2009; Crowell et al., 2009; Weiss et al., 2013b)”

    From An Emotion Regulation and Impulse Control (ERIC) Intervention for Vulnerable Young People: A Multi-Sectoral Pilot Study (2021) · cites this paper as Crowell et al., 2009

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Cites

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Research works printed but not linked: 5

  1. Cicchetti D 2008 A multiple-levels-of-analysis perspective on research in developmental psychopathology Beauchaine TP Hinshaw SP Child psychopathology 27 57 Hoboken, NJ Wiley
  2. Crowell SE Beauchaine TP Lenzenweger MF 2008 The development of borderline personality and self-injurious behavior Beauchaine TP Hinshaw S Child psychopathology 510 539 Hoboken, NJ Wiley
  3. David B Borelli J Beauchaine TP Waters E in press Neurobiological variables in attachment measurement: Describing and understanding secure base behavior Waters E Measuring attachment New York Guilford
  4. Herman JL van der Kolk BA 1987 Traumatic antecedents of borderline personality disorder van der Kolk BA Psychological trauma 111 126 Washington, DC American Psychiatric Press
  5. Judd PH McGlashan TH 2003 A developmental model of BPD: Understanding variations in course and outcome Arlington, VA American Psychiatric Press

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Related

Authors
Crowell, S. E., Beauchaine, T. P., & Linehan, M. M.
Affiliations
University of Washington (US)
ORCID
Venue
Psychological Bulletin
Publisher
American Psychological Association (APA)
Published
2009
Volume
135
Issue
3
Pages
495-510
ISSN
  • 0033-2909 (ISSN-L)
  • 1939-1455
DOI
10.1037/a0015616
PMC
PMC2696274
OpenAlex
W2105409252
Cited by
1,292
References
180
Citations by year
2026: 83 · 2025: 70 · 2024: 96 · 2023: 98 · 2022: 95 · 2021: 123 · 2020: 114 · 2019: 76 · 2018: 85 · 2017: 74 · 2016: 70 · 2015: 64 · 2014: 86 · 2013: 58 · 2012: 42
FWCI
34.60
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Psychological Bulletin (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
National Institute of Mental Health (MH63699, MH 74196, DA014997; MH01593)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Personality Disorders and Psychopathology
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Personality Traits and Psychology
Keywords
borderline personality disorder, biosocial model, developmental precursors, impulsivity, emotional sensitivity, emotional dysregulation, behavioral dysregulation, cognitive dysregulation, at-risk youth, biological vulnerability, psychosocial risk factors, children and adolescents
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Affective Symptoms, Borderline Personality Disorder, Child, Child Development, Humans, Impulsive Behavior, Models, Psychological, Psychological Theory, Risk Factors, Social Behavior, Self-Injurious Behavior, Adolescent Development

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