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Two central conflicts or split oppositions of borderline personality organization that have been discussed in the literature are identif ied and their interactions explored. The first of these conflicts comprises divergent wishes for dependency and autonomy (Fairbairn 1941; Masterson 1972) and concomitant fears of separation and merger. Persons with borderline personality also alternate between conflicting identifications as either victim or perpetrator (Blizard 2001; Howell 2002). The fears associated with this second conflict are of persecution and humiliation.
Other investigators have noted that a defining characteristic of borderline personality organization is the ability to dissociate into separate ego states, each with characteristic self-image, interaction patterns, interpersonal expectations, and intrapsychic defenses (Kernberg 1975; Liotti 2004). In this presentation, four distinct ego states or “states of being” are conceptualized and examined in terms of how interactions between the two central conflicts contribute to their formation.
Each state includes a specific internal representational system of self and other. In the Helpless Victim State, the patient's representation of self is as a victim, whereas representations of others are split between demigod and perpetrator. Thus, a triadic relational structure is formed between the patient as helpless victim, the therapist as idealized rescuer, and the perpetrator. This state fulfills longings for attachment through the relationship with the idealized other. The Guilty Perpetrator State includes a self-representation as perpetrator and an other-representation as idealized victim (or victimized rescuer). This state alleviates separation fears through the taking on of responsibility for others’ misbehaviors and is associated with self-destructive behaviors as a form of atonement. The Angry Victim State includes a self-representation as idealized victim and an other-representation as perpetrator. This state al