The Borderline Type: Testing Substance Dualism and Foundationalism

 

The Borderline Type: Testing Substance Dualism and Foundationalism

In the Sterling-Kelly framework, the Borderline type represents the ultimate test of Substance Dualism and Foundationalism. Because the Borderline temperament is characterized by "identity diffusion" (a shifting sense of self), the Stoic practice must move beyond mere behavior modification and provide an ontological anchor.

1. The Core Ontological Crisis: "Who am I?"

For a person with this temperament, the self often feels like a mirror—it only exists when it is reflecting someone else's presence or approval. When the "other" pulls away, the Borderline experiences a correspondence failure: they intuit that they have ceased to exist.

The Stoic Correction: By utilizing Foundationalism, the system provides a "properly basic" belief: The Prohairesis (the Faculty of Choice) is the self.

• Feelings of "emptiness" are external impressions (weather).
• The capacity to observe that emptiness is the internal reality (the ground).

2. Combating "Splitting" with Moral Realism

The Borderline temperament frequently utilizes "splitting"—viewing people or events as either "all good" or "all bad."

• The Error: This violates the Correspondence Theory of Truth. In reality, [all] externals are "Indifferents" and most people are complex mixtures of virtue and vice.
• The Sterling Fix: The practitioner uses their Libertarian Freedom to "pause" during an episode of rage or idealization. They ask: "Does this extreme judgment correspond to objective moral facts?" Usually, the answer is no. By recognizing "Good" and "Evil" as residing only in the will, they de-escalate the perceived "Evil" of an external person's actions (like a late text message).

3. Abandonment vs. The Indifference of Externals

The "abandonment terror" is a violation of Theorem 6 (knowing what is in your control).

• The Impression: "If they leave, my 'Good' is gone."
• The Reality: Their presence is a "Preferred Indifferent." It is nice to have, but it contains no objective moral value.

The Borderline type is encouraged to use Ethical Intuitionism to see that their worth is a "Non-natural Property" inherent in their own rational agency, not a "Natural Property" granted by a relationship.

The "Borderline" Five-Step Method in Action

Step	Temperamental Impulse	Stoic Rational Correction
Impression	"They haven't called; they hate me and I am nothing."	Recognize this as a "Hyperaesthetic" amplification.
Recognition	The feeling of annihilation is overwhelming.	Label the feeling as an external event happening to the mind.
Pause	Frantic reaching out or self-harm.	Libertarian Choice: The refusal to act on the impulse.
Examination	"Does my existence depend on their call?"	Correspondence Test: No. My existence is my prohairesis.
Decision	Choose stability over chaos.	Act according to the objective fact: "I am a free agent regardless of their call."

Why This Works for the Borderline

Unlike traditional therapy which might focus on "regulating emotions," this Stoic typology focuses on correcting judgments. It tells the Borderline: "You don't need to stop feeling the intensity; you just need to stop believing the lies the intensity tells you about reality."

```