Which defense mechanism states that external objects are either all good or all bad?

Which defense mechanism states that external objects are either all good or all bad?

• A. Splitting
• B. Undoing
• C. Inversion
• D. Isolation of affect

Answer: (A)

Splitting is a primitive defense in which a person cannot integrate positive and negative qualities in the same object or person. External objects are seen in absolute terms—either all good or all bad—because holding both attributes at once feels too threatening. This leads to abrupt shifts in how someone is perceived and treated, with idealization followed by devaluation as moods swing. The mechanism helps manage anxiety from ambivalence by keeping perceptions simple and polarized, though it distorts reality and complicates relationships. Undoing involves trying to negate a thought or action; isolation of affect separates emotion from cognition; inversion involves opposite actions or feelings. So the described all-good/all-bad pattern best fits splitting.

Splitting is a primitive defense in which a person cannot integrate positive and negative qualities in the same object or person. External objects are seen in absolute terms—either all good or all bad—because holding both attributes at once feels too threatening. This leads to abrupt shifts in how someone is perceived and treated, with idealization followed by devaluation as moods swing. The mechanism helps manage anxiety from ambivalence by keeping perceptions simple and polarized, though it distorts reality and complicates relationships. Undoing involves trying to negate a thought or action; isolation of affect separates emotion from cognition; inversion involves opposite actions or feelings. So the described all-good/all-bad pattern best fits splitting.