Loneliness in borderline personality disorder: The role of misalignments between self-view and social expectations in social value orientation and justice sensitivity

BACKGROUND: Loneliness is a pervasive and distressing feeling that characterizes social relationships in individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). Previous research suggests that a misalignment between an individual's heightened prosocial self-view and their negative social expectations might contribute to loneliness. In the current quasi-experimental study, we investigated this discrepancy for social value orientation (SVO) and justice sensitivity (JS) and their relationship with loneliness. METHODS: A total of 120 participants (60 treatment-seeking individuals diagnosed with BPD, 60 non-clinical controls) assessed their SVO with the SVO-Slider-Task and their JS with the Justice-Sensitivity Inventory for experiencing injustice as a victim, observer, beneficiary and perpetrator. Additionally, participants rated their expectations about the SVO and JS of other people. We measured the individuals' level of loneliness with the UCLA Loneliness scale. RESULTS: Participants with BPD reported a stronger difference between self-view and social expectations compared to non-clinical controls for SVO (r = 0.18, p = .043) and other-oriented perspectives of JS (observer [r = 0.34], beneficiary [r = 0.48] and perpetrator [r = 0.27], all p ≤ .003). A greater difference in observer and beneficiary JS was associated with higher levels of loneliness in the BPD group (observer: r = 0.31, p = .017, beneficiary: r = 0.44, p < .001). CONCLUSION: Alterations in self-views and social expectations in individuals with BPD might foster a vicious cycle of misunderstanding and disappointment in social relationships resulting in heightened feelings of loneliness. To improve interpersonal functioning and reduce loneliness, psychosocial interventions should target both the individual's heightened prosocial self-views and their negative expectations towards others.