Identity and Temporal Fragmentation in Borderline Personality Disorder: A Systematic Review

Background: Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a prevalent psychopathological condition, affecting 0.7–2.7% of the general population. Given the known link between identity formation and the temporal, metacognitive, and narrative processes that contribute to its coherence, the aim of the prese...

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Main Authors: Ilaria Faggioli, Cecilia Maria Esposito, Giovanni Stanghellini
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-11-01
Series:Brain Sciences
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/14/12/1221
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author Ilaria Faggioli
Cecilia Maria Esposito
Giovanni Stanghellini
author_facet Ilaria Faggioli
Cecilia Maria Esposito
Giovanni Stanghellini
author_sort Ilaria Faggioli
collection DOAJ
description Background: Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a prevalent psychopathological condition, affecting 0.7–2.7% of the general population. Given the known link between identity formation and the temporal, metacognitive, and narrative processes that contribute to its coherence, the aim of the present systematic review is to synthesize the current literature about the relationship between identity diffusion and lived time in adult patients with BPD. This would enhance knowledge and treatments, leading to a better understanding of the implications of time processes on identity diffusion in BPD. Methods: According to PRISMA guidelines, the main databases were consulted, and specific eligibility criteria were applied. The selection leads to the inclusion of 15 articles, investigating through integrated techniques the lived time, memory, self-reported narratives, and metacognition in BPD subjects. Results: A general agreement among researchers was found, confirming greater difficulty for BPD subjects in producing autobiographical stories, logically and temporally integrated, characterized by positive content. Functional and structural alterations were detected to explain narrative incoherence, as well as symptoms such as emotional dysregulation and cognitive biases. Conclusions: The difficulty for BPD subjects in producing a coherent personal narrative has been interpreted as a correlation of anomalies in autobiographical memories and consequently identities, which were equally compromised by the experience of discontinuity in the temporal structure. This would confirm the hypothesis of the temporal fragmentation of the self in BPD. Although some limitations have been encountered, we suggest that the understanding of identity diffusion and lived time in BPD subjects could represent a useful guide for further research.
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spelling doaj-art-9c745a93e52a4e6f9f786c8df397f66e2025-08-20T02:00:29ZengMDPI AGBrain Sciences2076-34252024-11-011412122110.3390/brainsci14121221Identity and Temporal Fragmentation in Borderline Personality Disorder: A Systematic ReviewIlaria Faggioli0Cecilia Maria Esposito1Giovanni Stanghellini2Department of Health Sciences, University of Florence, 50121 Florence, ItalyDepartment of Health Sciences, University of Florence, 50121 Florence, ItalyDepartment of Health Sciences, University of Florence, 50121 Florence, ItalyBackground: Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a prevalent psychopathological condition, affecting 0.7–2.7% of the general population. Given the known link between identity formation and the temporal, metacognitive, and narrative processes that contribute to its coherence, the aim of the present systematic review is to synthesize the current literature about the relationship between identity diffusion and lived time in adult patients with BPD. This would enhance knowledge and treatments, leading to a better understanding of the implications of time processes on identity diffusion in BPD. Methods: According to PRISMA guidelines, the main databases were consulted, and specific eligibility criteria were applied. The selection leads to the inclusion of 15 articles, investigating through integrated techniques the lived time, memory, self-reported narratives, and metacognition in BPD subjects. Results: A general agreement among researchers was found, confirming greater difficulty for BPD subjects in producing autobiographical stories, logically and temporally integrated, characterized by positive content. Functional and structural alterations were detected to explain narrative incoherence, as well as symptoms such as emotional dysregulation and cognitive biases. Conclusions: The difficulty for BPD subjects in producing a coherent personal narrative has been interpreted as a correlation of anomalies in autobiographical memories and consequently identities, which were equally compromised by the experience of discontinuity in the temporal structure. This would confirm the hypothesis of the temporal fragmentation of the self in BPD. Although some limitations have been encountered, we suggest that the understanding of identity diffusion and lived time in BPD subjects could represent a useful guide for further research.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/14/12/1221autobiographical memoryBorderline Personality Disorderidentity diffusionlived timenarrative coherencedynamic psychology
spellingShingle Ilaria Faggioli
Cecilia Maria Esposito
Giovanni Stanghellini
Identity and Temporal Fragmentation in Borderline Personality Disorder: A Systematic Review
Brain Sciences
autobiographical memory
Borderline Personality Disorder
identity diffusion
lived time
narrative coherence
dynamic psychology
title Identity and Temporal Fragmentation in Borderline Personality Disorder: A Systematic Review
title_full Identity and Temporal Fragmentation in Borderline Personality Disorder: A Systematic Review
title_fullStr Identity and Temporal Fragmentation in Borderline Personality Disorder: A Systematic Review
title_full_unstemmed Identity and Temporal Fragmentation in Borderline Personality Disorder: A Systematic Review
title_short Identity and Temporal Fragmentation in Borderline Personality Disorder: A Systematic Review
title_sort identity and temporal fragmentation in borderline personality disorder a systematic review
topic autobiographical memory
Borderline Personality Disorder
identity diffusion
lived time
narrative coherence
dynamic psychology
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/14/12/1221
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AT giovannistanghellini identityandtemporalfragmentationinborderlinepersonalitydisorderasystematicreview