Splitting is a symptom of borderline personality disorder where a person is unable to hold opposing thoughts and sees everything as black or white.
Splitting was also described by Hyppolyte Taine in 1878 who described splitting as a splitting of the ego. He described this as the existence of two thoughts, wills, distinct actions simultaneously within an individual who is aware of one mind without the awareness of the other.
Splitting occurs when a person with borderline personality disorder suddenly characterizes people, objects, beliefs, or situations by extremes, such as either all good or all bad.
In some instances, what seems like splitting may be an adaptive response to one's environment. Splitting is a natural thought process, like categorizing good and evil.
Splitting is a term used to describe a cognitive distortion where a person views situations and people in extremes—seeing them as either all good or all bad, with no middle ground. This type of “black and white thinking” is common in Borderline Personality Disorder and often leads to abrupt shifts in mood and opinion about others.
Splitting is a relatively common defense mechanism that can lead people to see things in black and white – without nuance. This thought process can potentially damage relationships and harm the individual experiencing it.
The Splitting Defense Mechanism - How It Can Damage Your ... - BetterHelp
Splitting is a neurological pattern in which the brain loses its capacity to hold contradictory emotional information about the same person simultaneously, defaulting instead to all-or-nothing evaluations that oscillate between idealization and devaluation.
BPD splitting can make people feel like they’ve switched from love to hate in an instant. Here’s what’s happening in the brain and what sets it off.