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A defence mechanism can become pathological when its persistent use leads to maladaptive behaviour such that the physical or mental health of the individual is adversely affected. Among the purposes of ego defence mechanisms is to protect the mind/self/ego from anxiety or to provide a refuge from a situation with which one cannot currently cope ...
Narcissistic defenses are among the earliest defense mechanisms to emerge, and include denial, distortion, and projection. [4] Splitting is another defense mechanism prevalent among individuals with narcissistic personality disorder, borderline personality disorder, and antisocial personality disorder—seeing people and situations in black and white terms, either as all bad or all good.
"While some narcissists may have moments of awareness, their deep-rooted defense mechanisms, low empathy and limited ability to self-reflect will likely make it difficult to fully grasp or care ...
In its malignant forms, it is a defense mechanism in which the ego defends itself against disowned and highly negative parts of the self by denying their existence in themselves and attributing them to others, breeding misunderstanding and causing interpersonal damage. [2] Projection incorporates blame shifting and can manifest as shame dumping ...
Displacement of attribution: A characteristic that one perceives in oneself but seems unacceptable is instead attributed to another person. This is essentially the mechanism of psychological projection; an aspect of the self is projected (displaced) onto someone else.
Defensive functioning: A defense is an unconscious attempt to protect the individual from some powerful, identity-threatening feeling. Initial defenses develop in infancy and involve the boundary between the self and the outer world; they are considered primitive defenses and include projection , denial , and splitting .
As a defense mechanism, the tendency to split may also indicate signs of depression. [7] In depression, exaggerated all-or-nothing thinking can form a self-reinforcing cycle: these thoughts might be called emotional amplifiers because, as they go around and around, they become more intense. Typical all-or-nothing thoughts:
The defense that effects (brings about) this process is called splitting. Splitting is the tendency to view events or people as either all bad or all good. [ 1 ] When viewing people as all good, the individual is said to be using the defense mechanism idealization : a mental mechanism in which the person attributes exaggeratedly positive ...