Hey... So stop me if this all gets too convoluted

But I was diagnosed aspie from a young age. And one thing I've always had throughout my life was a "mentor figure". This was essentially a person who would protect me socially, and give me guidance and support. It was always a single special friend that fulfilled this role, and I've labelled it as the mentor role. Much of the time these friends lasted for a few years before we would finally end in a dispute and terminate our friendship

But since being diagnosed with BPD I've discovered the notion of a *favourite person*. And I'm struggling to differentiate between the mentor figure and the favourite person. I can see how many of my mentor figures could have also been favourite people who supported me emotionally, but it feels almost dirty to attribute those qualities to them. I always saw them as strong independent people that I relied on for solidarity, but now I feel like they're emotional pawns that I use for my own selfish reasons; even somewhat transgressing to be a sense of narcissistic validation.

I'm not very knowledgeable on BPD, because it's a recent diagnosis and I have only just started therapy. And I understand this is a unique set of circumstances, (I'm personally considered a complex psychological case). Would someone here be able to help me to understand BPD, favourite people, and offer their opinions on this complex psychological phenomena.

I'm really appreciative of any support that you are able to give. And for the record, therapy has helped me immensely in only one session. The pure relief of knowing that things will become gradually better has filled me with optimism. I only wish I could positively contribute to the lives of all of us sufferers of BPD