Abstract
In the present study, the authors examined, from the standpoint of cognitive-behavioral counseling, the relationships among abandonment schemas, cognitions, emotions, and behaviors of individuals with borderline personality (BP) features in abandonment situations. In Study 1, 352 university students completed self-report scales regarding the abandonment schemas, BP features and coping styles in abandonment situations. As a result, the respondents who experienced abandonment events showed significantly higher scores of the abandonment schemas and BP features than those who did not experience such events. Moreover, it was found that the lack of interpersonal skills and the absence of positive interpretations maintain and reinforce abandonment schemas. In Study 2, 9 participants with BP features participated in an experiment in which they were instructed to imagine their own experiences of abandonment. Results indicated that abandonment schemas were activated in abandonment situations, and that the activation reduced positive emotions, and increased negative interpretations and coping styles of avoiding intimate relationships with others.
