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Splitting and self-schemata
Abstract
Two studies test the idea that the psychoanalytic defense of splitting involves alternating activation of global, opposing self-schemata, including a good-self schema, and a bad-self schema. Subjects were chosen on the basis of scoring very low ar very high on Sharon Gerson's (1984) Splitting Scale, allowing frequent splitters (FS) and infrequent splitters (IS) to be contrasted on a variety of experimental measures. Subjects were asked to rate their schematicism on a variety of trait dimensions and to rate 2 characters in a Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) card on the same dimensions. They were also asked to judge whether perceptibly and subliminally presented trait adjectives were best characterized as me or not me. Results indicate that IS identify themselves more schematically than FS on the trait dimensions good, bad, loving, and hateful. FS showed longer average reaction latencies in the me/not me judgment tasks, but there was no consistent evidence that either group enjoyed a speed advantage in responding to trait terms of interest when response times were standardized. These results suggest that FS are not more schematic than IS on the trait dimensions listed above. On the other hand, FS did tend to differentiate TAT characters more on the trait dimensions under study than IS, an indication that they projected split object relations onto the neutral TAT stimulus card. FS also showed a greater tendency to respond nonrandomly to the trait terms good and loving when these were presented subliminally, suggesting a greater degree of priming on these trait dimensions. The mixed results suggest that although splitting cannot be conceptualized in the schematic terms proposed at the outset of the study, further research into differences in the information processing advantages of FS on the trait dimensions good, bad, loving, and hateful is warranted.
Subject Area
Psychotherapy
Recommended Citation
Bousquet, Joseph Alfred, "Splitting and self-schemata" (1996). Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest. AAI9638933.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI9638933