Prosocial Behaviour in Children

Assignment 3 Student no. 32189621

Question:

“Discuss the problems related to assessing and classifying/diagnosing 16 to 20 year olds with patterns of impulsivity, instability in interpersonal relationships, self-image and affect”

Introduction

“ A pervasive pattern of instability of interpersonal relationships, self-image and affect and marked impulsivity which tends to begin in early adulthood and is present in a variety of contexts, as indicated in the Diagnostic criteria for Borderline Personality Disorder(APA, 2000,P.710)

Previously Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) was considered to be a psychoanalytic colloquialism for neurotic people but in recent years and after much research it has become a valid diagnosis. However people with this disorder suffer considerably simply because it is difficult to diagnose, hard to understand and difficult to treat. In the past BPD was spoken as a “dreaded pariah.”

Now with research we have a vastly enriched understanding of borderline pathology. BPD is a serious disorder. “About 4 to 20 per cent of the population suffers from BPD (Kernsberg 2009). BPD has long been considered a mental health problem that results in considerable costs in terms of human suffering and health care cost among patients. Although BPD is diagnosed among adolescence it is however very difficult to diagnose for a variety of reasons. Caution is warranted with the diagnosis of BPD among adolescence because it is a commonly held belief among mental health professionals that personality is still evolving during adolescence. “BPD is a complex and challenging illness, a disorder that is often prompted but occurs in the context of relationships.”(Hoffman 2007) This disorder can create problems not only for the people suffering from BPD but also the people around them, their friends, family etc.

What is Borderline Personality Disorder?

It is a pervasive instability of interpersonal relationships, self-image, affects and marked...