Borderline personality disorder is commonly characterized by which features?

• A. Impulsive behavior and chronic emptiness
• B. Self-harm and instability in mood and identity
• C. Impulsivity with chronic emptiness and unstable identity
• D. Lack of empathy and manipulativeness

Answer: (C)

Borderline personality disorder centers on instability in emotions, self-image, and behavior, with impulsive actions that can be self-damaging, a chronic sense of emptiness, and an often unstable sense of who one is. The best answer pairs these three features—impulsivity, persistent emptiness, and identity disturbance—because they together capture the core pattern of how this condition tends to present: people may act on impulse in risky ways, feel an ongoing inner void, and struggle to maintain a stable self-concept. The other descriptions miss one of these essential elements or describe traits more typical of other disorders; for example, self-harm and mood instability are common in BPD but incomplete without impulsivity, while lack of empathy and manipulation point more toward antisocial or narcissistic patterns rather than the hallmark trio of impulsivity, emptiness, and unstable identity.