ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the deficit in emotive comprehension inherent in the borderline pathology depends on the fact that the traumatic experiences occurred in the period in which the apparatuses responsible for the development of unconscious emotional–receptive functions were being formed. It highlights element that can always be found in the borderline pathology, and that is the tendency to maintain a type of sadomasochistic bond with the original frustrating objects. The relationships of these patients are partial, chaotic, but often very intense. They manifest a high degree of personal hypersensitivity, confusion about their own identity, conflicting emotional responses, and difficulty in behaving in a coherent and organised way. A high level of instability and unpredictability is the main characteristic; this aspect also emerges during therapy, characterised by turbulent progress marked by repetitive impulsive acts, suicidal or self-mutilating tendencies, or moments of intense dependence alternating with estrangement or interruptions.
