EXPLORING EMOTIONAL FATHER ABSENCE AND BORDERLINE PERSONALITY TRAITS AMONG YOUNG WOMEN IN LAHORE, PAKISTAN

Abstract

This study explored the impact of emotionally absent fathers on young women with borderline personality features in a collectivistic cultural setting. Based on attachment and identity formation theories, the study sought to investigate how paternal emotional unavailability influences interpersonal functioning, intrapersonal emotional processing, and ego identity development. A qualitative research design was used, with data gathered through in-depth interviews with 8 young women who exhibited borderline personality traits. Core themes included interpersonal emotional dysregulation, maladaptive coping strategies, intrapersonal emotional processing, and ego identity diffusion. Core borderline features, such as relationship insecurity, emotional lability, fear of abandonment, and reassurance-seeking behaviors, were reported by the participants. However, these traits were often expressed in subtle and internalized forms, including emotional numbing, guarded expression, learned emotional selfreliance, and concealed distress. Despite significant emotional turbulence, many participants maintained behavioral control and external functioning. The findings suggest that paternal emotional absence contributes to relational vulnerability and identity fragility, while collectivistic cultural values shape the expression of borderline traits into socially regulated and internally managed patterns rather than overt behavioral dysfunction. The study emphasizes the significance of identifying hidden emotional discomfort in collectivistic communities and provides a culturally nuanced perspective of borderline personality traits. These results have consequences for culturally aware methods of intervention, prevention, and assessment.