Was Thomas Wolfe a Borderline?*

Abstract
The distinction between the two types of borderline proposed by Spitzer, Endicott, and Gibbon—the Schizotypal Personality type of borderline and the Borderline Personality type of borderline—suggests an advance in our thinking about the borderline concept. However, it can be shown, at least in the case of Thomas Wolfe, that an appreciable amount of overlap exists between the two borderline types, in the sense that the same person can load substantially on items from both types. Such findings may tend to blur the distinction between the two types. Also, Wolfe, hailed as a genius, manifested unusual behaviors which are rarely observed and may constitute a form of borderline condition that challenges current diagnosis.