Splitting in Mental Health:

In mental health, splitting is a psychological defense mechanism where a person is unable to hold opposing thoughts, feelings, or beliefs about themselves or others. This leads them to see things in black-and-white, all-or-nothing terms — someone is either “all good” or “all bad,” with no shades of gray.

Key Characteristics of Splitting:

Idealization and devaluation: A person may alternate between extreme admiration and intense dislike for someone, based on a single event or interaction.

Instability in relationships: People who split may have tumultuous relationships due to their shifting perceptions.

Inability to integrate positive and negative aspects of oneself or others into a cohesive whole.

Commonly Associated Disorders:

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD): Splitting is considered a hallmark feature of BPD, though it can appear in other conditions.

Narcissistic Personality Disorder and other personality disorders: It can also occur in these contexts, though often less pervasively.

Example:

Border Line, example:

A client with BPD may say of their therapist:
“You’re the best therapist in the world!” (idealization)
Then, after a perceived slight:
“You’re just like all the others — completely useless!” (devaluation)

Why It Happens:

Splitting often originates from early developmental trauma or invalidating environments, where the person never developed the capacity to tolerate emotional ambivalence or complexity.

Shervan K Shahhian