[ccday]

> We would submit that the simplest explanation for this relationship can be garnered from the known relationship between borderline personality disorder and extreme, though changeable, expressions of identity. A large study found that the P factor, which we attempted to approximate here, seemed to perfectly correlate with a latent borderline personality disorder factor (Gluschkoff et al., 2021.). Those who score high in neuroticism are plagued by worry and doubt, including about themselves and even about who they are. Bing high in neuroticism strongly correlates with suffering from depression and anxiety (see Nettle, 2007). The world appears to them as a frightening place, beyond their control, meaning that even their sense of "self" can be unclear. In periods of extreme concern, they deal with this by creating - and expressing - clear and strong identity (Fox, 2020). This ameliorates their negative feelings, at least for a period of time, meaning, as this has been found with religion, that their identity may even become less extreme and conspicuous as they enter a period of relatively mental stability (see Hills et al., 2004). Thus, unnatural coloured hair can be regarded as an expression of, and way of negotiating, high levels of neuroticism.