This paper includes an extensive
literature review of the role of trauma in the development of BPD, along with a clinical
case study of a girl with BPD, and a transcript of an actual conversation between therapist and patient. BPD is characterized by a combination of impulsive,
emotional, and cognitive deficits in personality functioning. The disorder seems to develop as a result of early childhood trauma, especially traumatic experiences related to parental neglect and abuse. Children who are classified as being highly abused tend to have greater tendencies toward developing BPD than non-abused children. This paper explores the association between childhood trauma and the development of borderline personality disorder in adult females.