Determination of First Object Relations and Emotion Regulation Difficulties in Borderline Personality Disorder with Objective and Projective Methods

Evaluation of the disorders in the personality organization of the individual is only possible by examining the object relations functions, and it is known that the elimination of emotion regulation difficulties (ERD) has a central role in the treatment of borderline personality disorder (BPD). Therefore, this study, in which objective and projective methods were used together, was designed to determine the ERD of BPD patients and the relationship between the patients' object relations and emotion regulation difficulties. It is thought that the results of the study can be useful in the psychotherapy processes of BPD patients. For this purpose, the Sociodemographic Data Form, Rorschach Test, and Emotion Regulation Difficulty Scale developed by the researchers were applied to 37 individuals diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder according to DSM-5 criteria and 37 individuals who did not have any psychiatric diagnosis as a result of their psychiatric examination by a psychiatrist. As a result of the study, it was determined that there was a significant relationship between BPD and ERD, and this relationship could be determined through the Rorschach test, and it was determined that BPD constituted 55% of the variance of ERD. ERD, which can have significant disruptive effects on the lives of borderline patients, was associated with the patients' lack of satisfaction and inclusion in their relations with their first object, which is usually their parents, and it was determined negative qualities of first objects accounted for 23% of the variance of difficulty in emotion regulation. It is thought that the results of the study may contribute to the acceleration of the solution of interpersonal problems, which have a close relationship with ERD, of the patients and the standardization of the Rorschach Test.