The "Fragmentation" of Emotions and the Fragmentation of Narrative Identity in Borderline Personality Disorder

This article explores the relationship between the affective and narrative dimensions of human psychical life from the perspectives of phenomenology and phenomenological psychopathology. Whereas emotions and affectivity are experienced prereflectively, narrative self-identity is constituted through a reflective act of the self, by means of which one's personal experiences are attributed to meaningful connections with each other and narrated as a coherent life story. This study is situated, on the one hand, within the Husserlian phenomenological framework and appeals, on the other hand, to the lived experiences of borderline personality disorder (BPD) as an experiential ground for the philosophical discourse. BPD is focused among the other pathologies since it is characterized most specifically by the interplay between the affective and narrative disturbances of the self. Recent contributions in phenomenological psychopathology do address the different dimensions of the disorder, namely, the affective, narrative, and interpersonal dimensions. However, more work should be done in terms of the effects and significance of the affective disorder with respect to the narrative process. Usually, emotions are conceived as the objects for reflective deliberation and regulation of the narrative self. Although this understanding is not to be disputed, this article aims to explore the inverse relation between narrativity and affectivity by unfolding the essential role that emotions play in the narrative process. Emotions are conceptualized, correspondingly, as (a) the affective horizon or "terrain (Relief)" in which the narrative takes place, (b) the affective properties of "warmth and intimacy" that entail the potentiality of the narrativity of memories, and (c) the objects of the narrative itself. The significance of emotions for the narrative is demonstrated both in general within the scope of "normal" experience and in particular in BPD. By the end of this exposition, the dynamic and reciprocal relationship between the prereflective-affective, and reflective-narrative dimensions of the self will be illuminated. This might complement the recent studies of BPD, where the regulatory role of the narrative self in relation to one's emotions is relatively accentuated.