vertical splitting

in psychoanalytic tradition:

1. horizontal splitting: repression

2. vertical splitting: denial (wikipedia)

i counseled this couple with the wife with bipolar disorder reacting to the point of wanting to separate from husband. fortunately, being an atheist (which may not be relevant to this statement), she uses logic in making decisions (also aware of her mood swings) by consulting people. having been a previous counselee of mine, she decided to seek my counsel.

wife used vertical splitting as a reaction formation for having a neglectful father. thus, she IDOLIZED this husband with whom she was not attracted but learned to love because he was "everything" his father was not... until she found out he had a sexual misconduct with a previous relation PRIOR to their romantic relationship.

========================================================================

vertical splitting example from the internet:

service user to therapist in group psychoanalytic psychotherapy: "when you talk to me this way about my YOUTH, i acknowledge in some sense the TRUTH in what you are saying, yet still i think, is this me? it is as if aspects of me & my PAST are UNREAL & have to be MIRRORED by others before i can own them myself."

========================================================================

source: Wikipedia sv. splitting (psychology)

>aka "black-and-white" or "all-or-nothing" thinking

= "the failure in a person's thinking to bring together the DICHOTOMY of both POSITIVE and NEGATIVE qualities of the self and others into a COHESIVE, REALISTIC whole"

= "a defense mechanism by which people with borderline personality disorder can view people, events, or even THEMSELVES in ALL-OR-NOTHING terms" (verywellmind.com)

>discovered by RONALD FAIRBAIRN -- Object Relations Theory: the infant is unable to combine the FULFILLING aspect ("good object") and the unresponsive aspect ("bad object") of the PARENT into the SAME individual

>in relationships, this can be PERSONIFIED VIRTUE or VICE at different times; i.e., the other is ALL GOOD if need is satisfied, but ALL BAD if unsatisfied

>Borderline Personality Disorder = "a pattern of UNSTABLE & INTENSE interpersonal relationships characterized by alternating between EXCESS of IDEALIZATION (+) and DEVALUATION (-)"

========================================================================

therapy application: "in order to help one's patients, one needs COURAGE to enter their difficult terrain where troubled parts of oneself still remain...."