Splitting

[DISCLAIMER]

I’m fond of a number of artists who create music under the category of horrorcore (a subgenre of hip hop music based on horror-themed and often darkly transgressive lyrical content and imagery). For instance, I appreciate the content of horrorcore rapper Novatore.

On his album Masters of Morbid Creations (2022), Novatore released the song “Split” which was produced by C-Lance. On the chorus, the rapper states:

Hyde and Jekyll, I keep the beast up inside

My personality’s split up into two sides

One is kind, the other one who subsides in the mind

Is a menace who’d probably skin you alive

[x2]

Many rap artists use a similar dichotomous theme whereby they endorse what is formerly known as multiple personality disorder or split personality disorder. Now called dissociative identity disorder (DID), the American Psychological Association (APA) thusly defines this condition:

[A] dissociative disorder characterized by the presence in one individual of two or more distinct identities or personality states that each recurrently take control of the individual’s behavior. It is believed to be associated with severe physical and sexual abuse, especially during childhood.

Despite an increase in reported cases in the United States since the 1970s, DID remains the subject of considerable controversy, with many disputing its validity as a diagnosis and citing the incidences of childhood abuse reported by diagnosed individuals or their therapists as cases of false memory.

DID is still commonly known as multiple personality disorder, a coinage usually attributed to U.S. physician Morton Prince (1854–1929), whose case history of his patient “Miss Beauchamp” (with personalities called Christine, Sally, and “the Idiot,” among other names) was one of the first in-depth examinations of the phenomenon, published in The Dissociation of Personality in 1906.

Subsequent case histories, especially the books The Three Faces of Eve (1957) and Sybil (1973) and their film adaptations, contributed to popularizing—some say sensationalizing—the phenomenon during the late 20th century.

See also split personality (a lay term for an individual with dissociative identity disorder. It is sometimes confused with schizophrenia, which literally means “splitting of the mind,” but does not involve the formation of a second personality).

In DIDn’t Happen, I stated, “I remain doubtful of DID,” and, “This isn’t to assert that DID is absolutely a bogus condition, though to express that I question its validity.” Personally, a lot of imagination, gullibility, and irrationality plays a role in the clinical realm of DID.

Noteworthy, the APA defines irrationality as “the state, condition, or quality of lacking rational thought [that which is in accordance with both logic and reason]. The term is typically used in relation to cognitive behavior (e.g., thinking, decision making) that is illogical or delusional.”

Rather than Novatore’s apparent allusion to DID, I think of a separate psychological term that also relates to irrationality. For context, the APA thusly defines the concept of splitting:

[I]n Kleinian analysis and Fairbairnian theory, a primitive defense mechanism used to protect oneself from conflict, in which objects provoking anxiety and ambivalence are dichotomized into extreme representations (part-objects) with either positive or negative qualities, resulting in polarized viewpoints that fluctuate in extremes of seeing the self or others as either all good or all bad.

This mechanism is used not only by infants and young children, who are not yet capable of integrating these polarized viewpoints, but also by adults with dysfunctional patterns of dealing with ambivalence; it is often associated with borderline personality disorder [BPD].

It isn’t the case that only people diagnosed with or exhibiting symptoms of BPD commonly view themselves, others, or life as “either positive or negative,” maintaining “polarized viewpoints,” or “fluctuate in extremes” regarding that which is “either all good or all bad.” Many people split.

According to one source, “Splitting, also called binary thinking, dichotomous thinking, black-and-white thinking, all-or-nothing thinking, or thinking in extremes,” and states that this form of irrational thinking occurs with autism spectrum disorder, schizophrenia, and other conditions.

Similarly, when practicing Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) with clients who don’t qualify for clinical diagnoses often associated with splitting patterns of thinking, it isn’t uncommon for people to use this type of irrationality when evaluating and appraising.

Specifically, regarding global evaluations with which people wholly evaluate or appraise themselves, others, or life circumstances, many individuals believe as Novatore does in “Split” (i.e., one’s own personality is split into two sides—one is kind and the other is a menace).

For instance, person X may engage in splitting when believing that when person Y behaves in a pleasing manner toward person X, then person Y is kind. Yet, when the fallible human being that person Y undoubtedly is doesn’t behave in this manner, then person Y is a menace.

When viewing person Y as a menace, person X goes further into irrationality by concluding that person Y is worthless, useless, altogether meaningless, and even outright insignificant! Each of these evaluations and appraisals is a form of global evaluation.

Rather than wholly splitting people into evaluated or appraised categories such as this, it’s helpful to find some middle ground, shades of gray, in between characteristic, and so forth. As an example, person X may conclude that person Y has some positive traits, even though imperfect.

After all, doesn’t the same consideration apply to us all? Sometimes we behave kindly. Sometimes we act as a menace. However, we—as flawed individuals—aren’t our behavior. Thus, simply because we act in a particular manner doesn’t mean that we are worthless, etc.

If you find yourself splitting, then I invite you to dispute your irrational beliefs. Viewing matters as all good or all bad, all positive or all negative, all worthwhile or all worthless, and so on isn’t rational. Also, if you’d like more information about how to stop splitting, then I’m here to help.

If you’re looking for a provider who tries to work to help you understand how thinking impacts physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral elements of your life, I invite you to reach out today by using the contact widget on my website.

As the world’s foremost hip hop-influenced REBT psychotherapist, I’m pleased to try to help people with an assortment of issues from anger (hostility, rage, and aggression) to relational issues, adjustment matters, trauma experience, justice involvement, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression, and other mood or personality-related matters.

At Hollings Therapy, LLC, serving all of Texas, I aim to treat clients with dignity and respect while offering a multi-lensed approach to the practice of psychotherapy and life coaching. My mission includes: Prioritizing the cognitive and emotive needs of clients, an overall reduction in client suffering, and supporting sustainable growth for the clients I serve. Rather than simply trying to help you to feel better, I want to try to help you get better!

Deric Hollings, LPC, LCSW

Photo credit, fair use

References:

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