Borderline-level defenses are a group of psychological defense mechanisms that are more primitive than neurotic defenses but more organized than psychotic defenses. They are typically associated with borderline personality organization.
These defenses are common in individuals with intense emotional instability, identity diffusion, and unstable relationships, but they can also appear temporarily in highly stressed individuals.
Core Borderline-Level Defenses
1. Splitting
Seeing people (or oneself) as all good or all bad, with no middle ground.
- “They are perfect.”
- Later: “They are evil.”
This reflects difficulty integrating positive and negative aspects of the same person.
2. Projective Identification
Not just projecting unwanted feelings onto someone else, but subtly behaving in ways that pressure the other person to actually feel or enact what is projected.
Example:
- A person unconsciously feels anger.
- They accuse the therapist of hostility.
- Their behavior becomes provocative.
- The therapist starts feeling irritated.
3. Primitive Idealization
Overvaluing someone unrealistically:
- “You are the only person who understands me.”
- “You are extraordinary.”
Often followed by devaluation when disappointment occurs.
4. Devaluation
The flip side of idealization.
- Sudden shift to: “You are useless.”
- Intense contempt or dismissal.
5. Denial (Primitive Form)
Refusal to acknowledge emotionally threatening reality, even when evidence is clear.
6. Omnipotence
An exaggerated sense of power or specialness to defend against vulnerability.
- “I don’t need anyone.”
- “Rules don’t apply to me.”
Structural Context
Borderline-level organization includes:
- Identity diffusion (unstable self-concept)
- Primitive defenses (like splitting)
- Intact reality testing (unlike psychosis)
This differs from:
- Neurotic organization: repression, rationalization
- Psychotic organization: severe reality distortion
Clinical Insight
Borderline-level defenses often appear in contexts of:
- Intense attachment needs
- Fear of abandonment
- Grandiose or persecutory relational narratives
- Rapid shifts in perception of mentors, institutions, or belief systems
Importantly, these defenses are not “bad”, they are protective adaptations formed early in development, often in response to inconsistent or traumatic attachment.
Shervan K Shahhian
LIBERTY PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION 