The Impact of Borderline Personality Disorder Features on Self-Reported Invalidation and Learning Task Performance

Invalidation has been defined as the perception that one’s thoughts, emotions, or behaviors are inappropriate, inaccurate, or misunderstood by others. Invalidating responses have been shown to increase emotional arousal (Shenk, 2007) and impair cognitive ability (Fruzzetti, 2005). Invalidation may be particularly problematic for individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and related features, due to increased emotional sensitivity and reactivity (Domes, Schulze, & Herpertz, 2009) and negative interpersonal biases (Barnow et al., 2009). We experimentally assessed the impact of validating and invalidating experiences on learning task performance. Undergraduate participants (N = 66) first completed the borderline features scale of the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI-BOR; Morey, 1991) and a self-report measure of invalidation. They were then randomized to receive 4 minutes of either validating or invalidating feedback while recalling a time they were angry; finally, cognitive flexibility was assessed using a card-sorting task. We predicted that 1) Higher BPD features would predict greater self-reported invalidation, and 2) BPD features would moderate the relationship between feedback condition and learning task performance, such that higher BPD features would be associated with poorer performance. We found that as BPD features increased, invalidation also increased; however, this main effect was in the context of a significant interaction effect, such that highest self-reported invalidation occurred at high levels of BPD symptoms in the invalidation condition. Furthermore, higher BPD features were associated with committing a greater number of errors on the learning task when invalidated. Thus, invalidation may be particularly problematic in terms of learning for those with heightened BPD features; future research should examine the impact of invalidation within the context of psychotherapy, to inform practitioners and guide clinical practice. The Impact of Borderline Personality Disorder Features on Self-Reported Invalidation and Learning Task Performance Interpersonal interactions are an important and complex component of daily life. The nature and quality of one’s interactions with other people can impact nearly every domain of functioning. Just as some forms of communication are associated with benefits, and others are associated with harm, still others may serve less predictable functions, depending on the context in which they occur. Two such potentially-complex forms of communication, which have only recently begun to receive empirical attention, are validation and invalidation. Both are theorized to occur with some frequency during everyday life (Linehan, 1993), and a growing body of research and theory about the concepts of validation and invalidation speak to their potential impact on emotional and cognitive functioning. Further, the presence of certain psychological disorders may uniquely impact the effect of validating and invalidating behaviors, particularly for disorders which are characterized by emotional dysregulation and/or interpersonal difficulties. Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is one such disorder. We will begin with a detailed description of what is meant by validation and invalidation, followed by a brief overview of the relevant BPD literature, particularly as it pertains to learning.