‘Linguistic Shrapnel’: Inner speech in borderline personality disorder and its relevance for self-familiarity. A philosophical review
Philipp Schmidt-Boddy
Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences November 11, 2025 DOI: 10.1007/s11097-025-10117-z (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Keywords | Inner speech Internal dialogue Self-talk Intrapersonal plurality Self-familiarity Narrative self Borderline personality disorder |
| Key findings | Inner speech and self-talk in BPD contribute to self-estrangement and hinder the development of a stable sense of self, making linguistic self-relation a key area for therapeutic intervention. |
Abstract
This paper sheds light on the role of inner speech and self-talk in Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) by providing a literature review of existing empirical studies on related phenomena. Building on these insights, it explores how processes of linguistic self-relation may affect an individual’s sense of self. More specifically, it examines how processes of inner speech contribute to the genesis and sustainment of key psychological phenomena associated with BPD, which likely manifest as experiences of self-estrangement and hinder the development of a stable sense of self. First, I review the empirical literature on BPD, providing an overview of insights into intrapersonal dialogicality, auditory verbal hallucinations, inner speech and self-talk in BPD. Second, I then connect these empirical results with a philosophical notion of self-familiarity by exploring how linguistic processes in one’s experience of self, world, and others can significantly challenge or even undermine the development and sustainment of self-familiarity. By understanding how overt or covert dialogues within oneself may support or disrupt self-familiarity, I suggest, it becomes evident that linguistic self-relation is a critical area for therapeutic change and recovery in BPD.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on philosophy of mind, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Body Consciousness: A Philosophy of Mindfulness and Somaesthetics | 2008 | Review article | |
| Phenomenology, Structure, and Dynamic of Psychedelic States | 2016 | Review | |
| Classic Hallucinogens and Mystical Experiences: Phenomenology and Neural Correlates. | 2018 | Review | |
| The lived experience of psychosis: a bottom-up review co-written by experts by experience and academics. Individuals with lived experience of psychosis, family members, and carers | 2022 | Co-written bottom-up review | |
| From autopoiesis to neurophenomenology: Francisco Varela's exploration of the biophysics of being. | 2003 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cites 8
- Phenomenology of auditory verbal hallucination in schizophrenia: An erroneous perception or something else? Schizophrenia Research March 1, 2024
- In Defence of Pre-Reflective Self-Consciousness: The Heidelberg View Review of Philosophy and Psychology June 1, 2022
- Comparison of the Phenomenology of Hallucination and Delusion Characteristics in People Diagnosed With Borderline Personality Disorder and Schizophrenia. Journal of personality disorders August 1, 2022
- Comparing the experience of voices in borderline personality disorder with the experience of voices in a psychotic disorder: A systematic review. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry July 2016
- Auditory verbal hallucinations in bipolar disorder (BD) and major depressive disorder (MDD): A systematic review. Journal of Affective Disorders September 15, 2015
and 3 more in the library