Empathic accuracy of romantic partner negative affect is influenced by borderline personality symptoms.

The present study sought to examine the relation between borderline personality disorder (BPD) symptoms and empathic accuracy while improving on prior methodologies by using daily affect assessment in romantic partners. BPD symptoms were assessed in both members of 81 community couples who also reported on their own and their partner's negative and positive affect daily for 3 weeks. Data were analyzed using the Truth and Bias Model of Judgment, which allows the source of empathic accuracy to be parsed into partner affect (truth) and own affect (bias).