What is a primary feature of Borderline Personality Disorder?

The primary feature of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is instability in interpersonal relationships. Individuals with BPD often experience intense and fluctuating emotions, leading to a pattern of unstable relationships marked by alternating extremes of idealization and devaluation. This instability is a core characteristic of the disorder, as affected individuals may struggle with a fear of abandonment and may have difficulty maintaining a sense of self-worth.

While the other options touch on various aspects of personality and relationships, they do not correctly represent the fundamental dynamics of BPD. For instance, stable and balanced interpersonal relationships contradict the essence of the disorder, as individuals with BPD frequently find themselves in tumultuous interactions. Reliance on close interpersonal bonds can occur, but it does not capture the instability that defines the disorder. Yearning for solitude is often more characteristic of other conditions rather than BPD, where the emotional intensity typically leads to a turbulent push-and-pull pattern in relationships. This highlights why the correct answer emphasizes instability as the hallmark of Borderline Personality Disorder.