Exploring ego impairment in borderline personality disorder using the ego impairment index

Abstract

Thirty adult participants participated in this exploratory study. The study aimed to explore ego impairment in individuals diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. It also aimed to establish whether there were similarities in their ego impairment. An exploration and comparison of their ego strengths and ego weaknesses were done using the revised Ego Impairment Index, a new index that is a general measure of psychological impairment. A review of literature on the ego functioning of borderline personality was done, particularly focusing on Kernberg’s theory. The results of the research sample were extremely varied, with majority of the sample showing no ego impairment and the rest of the sample ranging from minimum impairment to severe impairment. This research raised the question as to the reliability of the diagnosis of borderline personality disorder as well as whether they are as ego impaired as we think. Copyright