Abstract
A prototype of the borderline patient was developed using descriptions generated by 50 mental health workers (social workers, psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, and two student groups). The prototype was semantically organized using cluster analytic techniques. The three professional groups differed little in their conceptualization of borderline patients. In contrast, with increasing levels of experience, descriptions of borderline patients become more specific. The prototype developed is very similar to the DSM-III diagnostic criteria for borderline personality disorder, and it constitutes a subset of the clinical features proposed by Gunderson and Singer as a tentative definition of the borderline patient. The cluster structure of the prototype is similar to the organization of Kernberg's structural diagnosis.
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