Splitting

In psychiatry and psychology, the term splitting has three different applications.

Psycholanalysis
Within the area of psychoanalysis, splitting refers to a coping mechanism whereby an individual, unable to integrate certain particularly difficult feelings or experiences into the overall ego structure, compartmentalizes his or her reaction to those feelings or experiences. This is also often referred to as ego disintegration or, in extreme cases, dissociation.

Borderline Personality Disorder
Within the area of personality psychology, splitting is a term referring to a cognitive error that is often considered the hallmark of borderline personality disorder. It is characterized by the propensity to either completely idealize or completely devalue other people, places, ideas, or objects; that is, to see them as either all good or all bad. Anecdotally, persons and professionals experiencing this behavior in those on the borderline spectrum who see someone or something as all bad refer to that object as having been "split black", while someone or something seen as all good has been "split white".

Treatment Milieu
Within the area of treatment milieu, such as residential treatment and inpatient psychiatric hospitalization settings, splitting refers to a patient attempting to manipulate staff members in the milieu by engaging one staff member against one or more others to the advantage of the patient. Such behavior id most successful if staff members are unable to maintain professional distance and control their own counter-transference issues.