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A Developmental Neuroscience of Borderline Pathology: Emotion Dysregulation and Social Baseline Theory

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Abstract

Theoretical and empirical research has linked poor emotion regulation abilities with dysfunctional frontolimbic circuitry. Consistent with this, research on borderline personality disorder (BPD) finds that frontolimbic dysfunction is a predominant neural substrate underlying the disorder. Emotion regulation is profoundly compromised in BPD. However, BPD is also associated with broad impairment across multiple domains, including impulse control, interpersonal relationships, and cognitive functioning. To date, BPD research has focused largely on single areas of dysfunction, failing to account for overlap at either the biological or behavioral levels of analysis. We examine the literature on frontolimbic dysfunction in BPD within the context of Coan’s social baseline theory. Social baseline theory proposes that healthy human functioning is dependent upon adequate social support and that, at baseline, biological systems are adapted to operate interdependently rather than independently. The social baseline perspective is particularly useful for understanding borderline personality development because the impulsive and emotionally dysregulated behaviors common among those with BPD occur almost invariably within an interpersonal context. We discuss clinical and research implications of this work.

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Acknowledgments

Work on this paper was supported by grants F31 MH074196 to Sheila E. Crowell and R01 MH80725-2 to James A. Coan. We would like to acknowledge Theodore P. Beauchaine, who facilitated early discussions of the literature reviewed in this manuscript. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute of Mental Health or the National Institutes of Health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Utah, 380 S. 1530 E. Room 502, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA

    Amy E. Hughes & Sheila E. Crowell

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    Lauren Uyeji

  3. Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA

    James A. Coan

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  1. Amy E. Hughes
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  2. Sheila E. Crowell
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  3. Lauren Uyeji
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  4. James A. Coan
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Correspondence to Sheila E. Crowell.

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Hughes, A.E., Crowell, S.E., Uyeji, L. et al. A Developmental Neuroscience of Borderline Pathology: Emotion Dysregulation and Social Baseline Theory. J Abnorm Child Psychol 40, 21–33 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-011-9555-x

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