trump, splitter, personality disorder

[Miigwech]

Splitting and Borderline Personality Disorder
A defense mechanism where everything is black or white

Splitting and Borderline Personality Disorder

Splitting is considered a defense mechanism by which people with borderline personality disorder (BPD) can view people, events, or even themselves in all or nothing terms.1 Splitting allows them to readily discard things they have assigned as "bad" and to embrace things they consider "good," even if those things are harmful or risky.

Examples of Splitting

Splitting can interfere with relationships and lead to intense and self-destructive behaviors. A person who splits will typically frame people or events in terms that are absolute with no middle ground for discussion.1 Examples include:

Things are either "always" or "never"
People can either be "evil" and "crooked" or "angels" and "perfect"
Opportunities can either have "no risk" or be a "complete con"
Science, history, or news is either a "complete fact" or a "complete lie"
When things go wrong, a person will feel "cheated," "ruined," or "screwed"

What makes splitting all the more confusing is that the belief can sometimes be iron-clad or shift back-and-forth from one moment to the next.

People who split are often seen to be overly dramatic or overwrought,

https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-splitting-425210

[Tommy_Carcetti]

1. So in other words, the people in Charlottesville were "very good people"

...simply because they might be more inclined to support Trump.

[janterry]

2. I don't think he has BPD

He just lacks the emotions that one usually sees with those folks. I know he seems to have swings - and he sure labels people as good or bad. But it's more narcissism, imo. I don't think he internalizes them as good or bad. It's more about how he can use them or how they serve him.

(just speaking diagnostically). I would stick with Narcissism if I were doing the dx (I have a MSW, so I do dx people).

[Miigwech]

3. Can't he be dioganosed with both a PD and toxic Narcissisim?

trump is one of the most toxic of humans that anyone would be forced to deal with because he is holding the office of pres.

[janterry]

4. well, he's sure toxic

But I don't think it's very common for BPD and Narcissism to be dx w/one person (I've never seen it happen).

Borderlines (and keep in mind this is a sexist diagnosis) are often folks who have had trauma. They are not good at managing their internal sense of self - they don't know who they are. It's all (seemingly) chaos.

As a result - they sort of run to (often) men and get swept up in a relationship - wanting to get almost subsumed by it. Then, when it goes sour - they tend to threaten suicide - or stalk their partner - fight with them (act out in very toxic ways). In any case, they have this huge range of emotions - true love - true hate.

I don't think Trump has that. He has the anger bit down pat, lol. And he can pretend love. But it's all so superficial I don't think he even has any feelings of love. I wonder if he would even cry if Ivanka died. He says he loves her - but I don't think he has that emotion. (I'm not even going to hypothesize about his wife because.....I mean.....I don't even know if he likes her!)

He's so weird.

eta: I have very non-sexist opinions about BPD. But that requires more paragraphs. For the moment, just let me say - I like Marsha Linehan's work in this area