Working with pathological and healthy forms of splitting: a case study

The author illustrates through a case discussion how he understands the concept of splitting and how he makes use of that understanding in tracking, and at times, interpreting movement of the unconscious transference and countertransference. He views splitting not simply as a primitive defense but also as essential to early emotional development and to healthy psychological maturation in the course of analytic work. In the analytic relationship discussed in this article, the author presents both aspects of splitting--as a primitive defense and as a healthy movement toward new and more complex object relatedness. Difficulties arise when one fails to distinguish pathological from healthy but immature forms of splitting. Healthy splitting in its beginnings represents an important developmental step that serves as a transition to ambivalence and mature integration. The author demonstrates the importance of the analyst's capacity to distinguish pathological splitting from healthy splitting during periods of analytic impasse.