Altered Self-Other Distinction in Motor and Cognitive Domains in Individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder: Evidence from a Multi-Site Behavioral Study
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Self–other distinction (SOD), defined as the ability to separate self- from other-related mental representations, has been proposed as a core mechanism in borderline personality disorder (BPD), yet experimental evidence remains limited. In this preregistered, multicenter study (Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Germany, USA), we assessed motor SOD (Automatic Imitation Inhibition Task, AIT) and cognitive SOD (Visual Perspective-Taking, VPT) in 290 adults (131 BPD, 159 healthy controls), alongside a Stroop-based inhibitory control task. Overall, individuals with BPD showed slower and less accurate performance across tasks. In the AIT, BPD exhibited reduced motor SOD relative to healthy controls, reflected in increased imitative interference. These effects were robust to covariate adjustment and not explained by demographic or clinical factors. In the BPD sample, symptom severity was neither associated with motor SOD performance nor interindividual differences in self-reported childhood maltreatment. In the VPT task, the BPD group showed greater egocentric bias than controls, with effects varying depending on covariate inclusion (e.g., ADHD symptoms, age, cognitive control). Within the BPD group, childhood maltreatment moderated the association between symptom severity and VPT egocentric bias, such that greater childhood maltreatment and greater symptom severity were associated with increased bias. Overall, findings indicate selective, context-dependent alterations of SOD in BPD, characterized by heightened imitative interference and increased egocentric bias rather than a global deficit. Early adversity appears to shape variability in cognitive SOD in BPD.
Source: PsyArXiv (OSF Preprints)
Institution: KU Leuven
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7214225010