Keywords

Borderline Personality Disorder(BPD), Facial Ambiguity, Self-Esteem, Rejection Sensitivity, Social Perception, Social Exclusion

Abstract

The present study examined whether borderline personality disorder (BPD) traits are associated with differences in self-esteem and interpretations of ambiguous facial expressions, as well as how rejection sensitivity relates to these processes. Participants (N = 135) completed measures of BPD traits, rejection sensitivity, and self-esteem, and rated ambiguous facial expressions on perceived emotion, social inclusion, and evaluation. Results indicated that individuals with higher BPD traits reported significantly lower post-task self-esteem and showed a decrease in self-esteem following the task compared to those with lower BPD traits. Contrary to expectations, no significant group differences were found in interpretations of ambiguous facial expressions. Rejection sensitivity was significantly associated with more negative evaluations and lower perceived inclusion of neutral faces but was not related to perceived emotion. Exploratory analyses using a clinically informed cutoff (MSI-BPD ≥ 7) revealed that individuals with higher BPD traits reported lower perceived inclusion, suggesting that differences in social interpretation may emerge at higher levels of BPD traits. These exploratory findings highlight the role of self-esteem reactivity and evaluative biases in individuals with elevated BPD traits and suggest that interpretation biases may be limited to more specific evaluative processes rather than generalized perceptual differences.

Thesis Completion Year

2026

Thesis Completion Semester

Spring

Thesis Chair

Neal, Raymonde

College

College of Sciences

Thesis Discipline

Psychology

Language

English

Access Status

Open Access

Length of Campus Access

None

Campus Location

Orlando (Main) Campus

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Included in

Psychology Commons

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