To one degree or another, we all struggle with the same issues as the borderline patient—the threat of separation, the fear of rejection, confusion about identity, feelings of emptiness and boredom. How many of us have not had a few intense unstable relationships? Or flown into a rage now and then? Or felt the allure of ecstatic states? Or dreaded being alone, or gone through mood swings, or acted in a self-destructive manner in some way?
