Idealization and Devaluation in BPD

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsIdealizationDevaluationSplittingOther ConditionsDo I Have BPD?Frequently Asked Questions

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Idealization

Devaluation

Splitting

Other Conditions

Do I Have BPD?

Frequently Asked Questions

Close

Idealization and devaluation aredefense mechanismsthat help a person manage their anxiety as well as internal or external stresses. While this subconscious protection system can be found in a few personality disorders, it is most often associated withborderline personality disorder (BPD).

This shift between idealization and devaluation found in BPD is known assplitting, which signifies a disturbance in both thinking and emotion regulation. It reflects challenges in maintaining an integrated view of the good and bad in a person under stress.

What Does Idealization and Devaluation Look Like?A person with BPD may shift from great admiration for a loved one (idealization) to intense anger toward or dislike of that person (devaluation).

What Does Idealization and Devaluation Look Like?

A person with BPD may shift from great admiration for a loved one (idealization) to intense anger toward or dislike of that person (devaluation).

This article discusses the cycle of idealization and devaluation and why people with BPD might engage in this type of thinking. It also covers how splitting can damage interpersonal relationships.

What Is Idealization?

Idealization is a psychological or mental process of attributing overly positive qualities to another person or thing.It’s a way of coping with anxiety in which an object or person of ambivalence is viewed as perfect, or as having exaggerated positive qualities.

It’s common with borderline personality disorder for a person to idealize a friend, family member, or loved one.

An example of idealization would be to place someone on a pedestal. You look up to them and they can do no wrong. This can quickly and unpredictably change to intense anger toward that person, a process called devaluation.

What Is Devaluation?

In psychiatry and psychology, devaluation is a defense mechanism that is just the opposite of idealization.It’s used when a person characterizes themselves, an object, or another person as completely flawed, worthless, or as having exaggerated negative qualities.

Splitting as a Defense Mechanism

Splitting involves an inability to hold two opposing thoughts, beliefs, or feelings. People who have BPD tend to view others in all-or-nothing, black-and-white terms.

Like most defense mechanisms, someone with BPD may not be aware they are engaging in devaluation and idealization. Splitting is a subconscious way to protect themselves from perceived stress.

Splitting reflects the challenges associated with maintaining an integrated view of the good and bad in a person under stress. Some researchers suggest that some of the difficulty is rooted in the way the brain, particularly the amygdala and prefrontal lobe, activates in these experiences for people with BPD.

Splitting, or the rapid fluctuation between idealization and devaluation, is classically seen in borderline personality disorder.

Other Conditions Involving Idealization and Devaluation

Idealization is sometimes also seen innarcissistic personality disorder, especially towards the self or the treating therapist.Devaluation is not limited to people with borderline personality disorder either as it may be seen in other personality disorders, especiallyantisocial personality disorderor narcissistic personality disorder.

Do I Have BPD If I Engage in Idealization and Devaluation?

Devaluation and idealization are defense mechanisms commonly used in borderline personality disorder.That said, just because you engage in these defense mechanisms does not mean you have BPD—it’s simply a feature of this disorder.

Speak with your doctor or a therapist if you are concerned that you use unhealthy coping strategies like these to deal with emotional conflict or stress. A therapist can help you focus on developing new behavior and thinking patterns that can improve yourinterpersonal relationships.

Psychotherapy can help people with borderline personality disorder (BPD) learn to cope with maladaptive thought patterns like idealization and devaluation. Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a form of CBT that can help people with BPD become develop stronger coping skills, improve their interpersonal relationships, and better regulate their emotions.Learn More:How Dialectical Behavior Therapy Works

Psychotherapy can help people with borderline personality disorder (BPD) learn to cope with maladaptive thought patterns like idealization and devaluation. Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a form of CBT that can help people with BPD become develop stronger coping skills, improve their interpersonal relationships, and better regulate their emotions.

Learn More:How Dialectical Behavior Therapy Works

Screening for Borderline Personality Disorder

5 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Perry JC, Presniak MD, Olson TR.Defense mechanisms in schizotypal, borderline, antisocial, and narcissistic personality disorders.Psychiatry. 2013;76(1):32-52. doi:10.1521/psyc.2013.76.1.32Sadock BJ, Kaplan HI.Kaplan & Sadock’s Synopsis of Psychiatry: Behavioral Sciences/Clinical Psychiatry. 10th edition.Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2007.Leduc-Cummings I, Starrs CJ, Perry JC.Idealization. In: Zeigler-Hill V, Shackelford TK, eds. Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer International Publishing; 2020:2129-2132. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-24612-3_1385Pec O, Bob P, Raboch J.Splitting in schizophrenia and borderline personality disorder.PLoS One. 2014;9(3):e91228. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0091228Kampe L, Bohn J, Remmers C, Hörz-Sagstetter S.It’s not that great anymore: The central role of defense mechanisms in grandiose and vulnerable narcissism.Front Psychiatry. 2021;12:661948. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.661948

5 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Perry JC, Presniak MD, Olson TR.Defense mechanisms in schizotypal, borderline, antisocial, and narcissistic personality disorders.Psychiatry. 2013;76(1):32-52. doi:10.1521/psyc.2013.76.1.32Sadock BJ, Kaplan HI.Kaplan & Sadock’s Synopsis of Psychiatry: Behavioral Sciences/Clinical Psychiatry. 10th edition.Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2007.Leduc-Cummings I, Starrs CJ, Perry JC.Idealization. In: Zeigler-Hill V, Shackelford TK, eds. Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer International Publishing; 2020:2129-2132. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-24612-3_1385Pec O, Bob P, Raboch J.Splitting in schizophrenia and borderline personality disorder.PLoS One. 2014;9(3):e91228. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0091228Kampe L, Bohn J, Remmers C, Hörz-Sagstetter S.It’s not that great anymore: The central role of defense mechanisms in grandiose and vulnerable narcissism.Front Psychiatry. 2021;12:661948. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.661948

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Perry JC, Presniak MD, Olson TR.Defense mechanisms in schizotypal, borderline, antisocial, and narcissistic personality disorders.Psychiatry. 2013;76(1):32-52. doi:10.1521/psyc.2013.76.1.32Sadock BJ, Kaplan HI.Kaplan & Sadock’s Synopsis of Psychiatry: Behavioral Sciences/Clinical Psychiatry. 10th edition.Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2007.Leduc-Cummings I, Starrs CJ, Perry JC.Idealization. In: Zeigler-Hill V, Shackelford TK, eds. Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer International Publishing; 2020:2129-2132. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-24612-3_1385Pec O, Bob P, Raboch J.Splitting in schizophrenia and borderline personality disorder.PLoS One. 2014;9(3):e91228. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0091228Kampe L, Bohn J, Remmers C, Hörz-Sagstetter S.It’s not that great anymore: The central role of defense mechanisms in grandiose and vulnerable narcissism.Front Psychiatry. 2021;12:661948. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.661948

Perry JC, Presniak MD, Olson TR.Defense mechanisms in schizotypal, borderline, antisocial, and narcissistic personality disorders.Psychiatry. 2013;76(1):32-52. doi:10.1521/psyc.2013.76.1.32

Sadock BJ, Kaplan HI.Kaplan & Sadock’s Synopsis of Psychiatry: Behavioral Sciences/Clinical Psychiatry. 10th edition.Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2007.

Leduc-Cummings I, Starrs CJ, Perry JC.Idealization. In: Zeigler-Hill V, Shackelford TK, eds. Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer International Publishing; 2020:2129-2132. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-24612-3_1385

Pec O, Bob P, Raboch J.Splitting in schizophrenia and borderline personality disorder.PLoS One. 2014;9(3):e91228. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0091228

Kampe L, Bohn J, Remmers C, Hörz-Sagstetter S.It’s not that great anymore: The central role of defense mechanisms in grandiose and vulnerable narcissism.Front Psychiatry. 2021;12:661948. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.661948

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