ABSTRACT
You are likely to have a tendency to act on your urges, impulses, desires. We all do this of course — overeat, say things we regret. But getting on with people requires the ability to practise restraint, to hold back the urge to do or say things which are likely to antagonise or shock people. For example, if you shout at people every time you are angry with them, you won't get on well with them. If you have sex every time you feel attracted to someone, you are not likely to keep a sexual partner (most people want to be monogamous). Living within the law requires self-restraint, and some people with borderline problems get in trouble with the law because of the difficulty they have with impulsivity and anger in particular. (Many men with borderline problems end up in the penal system not the mental health services.)
