MOST of the research and clinical reports concerning borderline personality disorder (BPD) come from highly developed countries.

Although BPD can also be diagnosed in developing societies, it is likely that this form of pathology is more prevalent in North America and Europe.

However, the personality traits and psychological risk factors underlying borderline personality may also be found in individuals from developing countries.

The hypothesis of this paper is that social protective factors suppress the development of these traits into diagnosable personality disorders.

This process is illustrated by cases in which borderline pathology emerged only after immigration.