Children 's Self Perception : Behavioral Characteristics

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a severe mental health disorder that cause changes in the mood and behavior of a person. According to www.mhhe.com, traits of BPD would be “self-destruction behaviors, fear of abandonment, and mood shifts.” People suffering from BPD has symptoms and problem with regulating emotions (intense mood swings), low self-worth, aggressive behavior, and a fear of abandonment (being left behind). It has been found that BPD has vague symptoms that is based on a wide collection. The cause of BPD are not well understood, but some psychoanalytic believe the symptoms come from poor care taking during childhood.

As the child grows up, bipolar disorder may affect the size, shape, and function of the brain. Experts believe bipolar disorder is partly caused when brain chemicals called neurotransmitters are unbalanced. Humans have three chemicals in their brain called noradrenaline, serotonin, and dopamine. Noradrenaline and serotonin have been known to link to psychiatric mood disorders such as depression and bipolar disorder. Dopamine has to do with the pleasure system of the brain. Disruption to the dopamine system is connected to psychosis and schizophrenia, two mental disorders characterized by distortions in reality and illogical thought patterns and behaviors.

A child’s sense of self as separate from the world is formulated early in development. Children exposed to early trauma, especially by a primary care giver, develop a distorted sense of the self, others, and the world. When exposed to trauma, children become overwhelmed and are unable to effectively self-regulate thus leading to a disjointed sense of self. They have a tendency to lose hope and expect that life will be dangerous thus challenging their ability to survive (Terr, 1992). Survival becomes the predominant drive for children exposed to trauma and their focus becomes toward responding and adapting to a potentially threatening environment. Feelings of trust and the sense of self become compromised as resources are allocated toward coping with threats. Traumatized children experience guilt and low self-esteem and perceive themselves as unlovable and unworthy of protection or love (Johnson, 1985, 1987).

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders(DSM-5,2013), "Borderline Personality Disorder (301.83) is a pervasive pattern of volatility of interpersonal relations, self image, and affect, and marked impulsivity, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of context" (p. 663). Concurrent disorders associated with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) are depressive and bipolar disorders and substance use disorders, eating disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorders. BPD also commonly co-occurs with other personality disorders. These disorders have a high co-morbidity. The incidence of BPD

6) MacIntosh, H. B., Godbout, N., & Dubash, N. (2015). Borderline personality disorder: Disorder of trauma or personality, a review of the empirical literature. Canadian Psychology, 56(2), 227-241. Retrieved from

However, some of the factors that we can look at that helps triggers this disease is Hormone, Inherited traits, Environments, Neurotransmitters, and Biological differences. Thus looking at each of these factors individually you can see how hormone plays a role by the imbalanced of hormone, inherited traits can be looked at as people who have a blood relative (such as a parent) with the condition. And how the environment contributes to this disorder is the surroundings the individual might live in where they might face abuse, stress, or traumatic experiences, therefore what can be a main factor is the this disorder is the neurotransmitters in the individual brain where there is an imbalance in naturally occurring brain chemicals that plays a

She also recounts a troubled childhood that might have aided in the development of this disorder, especially with a fear of abandonement (Should I live or Die, Understanding Borderline Personality Disorder, 2004). Some studies suggest that genetics are what play a role in disorders such as Borderline Personality Disorder, another possible cause of the disorder is a brain abnormality, “changes in certain areas of the brain involved in emotion regulation, impulsivity and aggression. In addition, certain brain chemicals that help regulate mood, such as serotonin, may not function properly (Borderline Personailty Disorder, Mayo

What is Borderline Personality Disorder? Is heredity the cause or is it a person’s surrounding environment? What are its effects? Are there any treatments available for it? Borderline Personality Disorder or BPD is a serious illness that causes a person to experience instability in moods, exhibit impulsive, quite often aggressive, behavior and creates severe self-worth issues. BPD is usually not a “stand alone” illness and typically is accompanied by other disorders such as Dysthymia, Bipolar Disorder and Substance Abuse. Although BPD can be extremely dangerous to those affected by it and those surrounded by them, it is quite often not given enough attention or taken as serious as it should be. As well, BPD is commonly misdiagnosed as

Abstract: This paper will discuss the causes and psychological impact of borderline personality disorder. It will also talk about how to treat those impacted by borderline personality disorder.

Borderline personality disorder forms part of the cluster B personality disorders and it is usually more prolific in females than males. It two percent prevalence and Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is defined as a pervasive pattern of instability in interpersonal relationships, self-image and emotions. Initially ( BPD) was thought to occupy the “border” between neurotic and psychotic disorders. However, this sense of the term borderline became identified with schizotypal personality, which is biologically related to schizophrenia.

If you have been diagnosed with depression, you most likely will be told it is due to a deficiency of serotonin. Serotonin is regarded by many people as the basic neurotransmitter, or chemical hormone, that regulates mood. It plays the central role in the regulation of human mood and temperament. Serotonin is an inhibitory neurotransmitter which works with the excitatory sympathetic systems, like adrenaline and dopamine, in the central nervous system. Most widely researched are the effects on the central nervous system. An oversupply of serotonin can occur, though it is not as common, and it can cause vivid hallucinations, vascular disorders, and psychotic disorders. If you have a sustained decrease in serotonin, the following will occur: increase in anxiety, loss of interest, and lack of concentration. Having a decrease or imbalance in the body sounds somewhat alarming, but there are ways to cope and restore normal balances regarding serotonin.

Borderline personality disorder is a mental illness marked by a pattern of emotional instability, impulsive behavior, distorted self-image, and unstable relationships.

(3) While successful drug therapies which act on neurotransmitters in the brain imply that depression is a neurobiological condition (4), the fact that such medications do not help about 20 percent of depression-sufferers seems to show that not all depression is due to such imbalances. Rather, depression is not caused by one single factor; it is most often caused by many different things. Genetics, biochemical factors, medicines and alcohol, developmental and other external factors, and relationships, marriage and children all have effect on the development of clinical depression. (5) The strongest hypotheses on the pathways to depression are in decreases in the activity of specific neurotransmitters, or the overactivity of certain hormonal systems. (3)

Child development in general is something most people do not really think of. Even if someone has children they do not really think about it unless something seems wrong with their child. Ever since this class I never really thought too much about how we all develop. A lot of things we learned in this were actually surprising to me but I could only choose one. I chose to look at an experiment on self-recognition because I found it very interesting that the researchers used a mirror to understand how the infants would react.

Children and adolescents with low self-esteem are more likely to have problems with peers (Hymal et al., 1990). Furthermore, they are more prone to psychological