Splitting?

In therapy, we commonly use the term “splitting.” When a person is splitting, they see the world, the person, the moment as either all good or all bad. Many of my clients are splitters…loving me one minute and cursing me the next. But, truth be told, all of us split one thing or another.

Chocolate is always good. Winter storm warnings in April are always bad. Beef is always bad. Five weeks left of school is always good. Five weeks left of commuting is going to have to be bad.

I digress…

So I’ve been thinking about the phenomenon of splitting lately. They teach us in school that a way to avoid this defense mechanism is to be authentic with your client – to let them see your faults, and that indeed you are human, your life is not perfect and you have your own struggles. This helps your client to relate to you and accept you as a fellow human as opposed to some entity that places expectations and goals on them.

And so to politics. Track with me here people…

I’ve accepted the fact that I split with dear old W. Frankly, I think he’s all bad. In fact, I think my mom’s cat might make a better president. But I think one of the reasons it is so difficult for me to grasp the good in his personhood is the fact that he constantly presents himself as infallible. Would you please admit to the fact that you messed up, even once? It wouldn’t be that hard, here are some ideas…”I was a bum in college. Oops, I accidentally ‘disappeared’ for two years during my National Guard Duty. Hi, my name is George, and I have a grammar problem. My bad, it turns out there aren’t any weapons of mass destruction after all.” Not that difficult, ay?

Alas, this is what makes Barack Obama even further appealing to me. I was sold long ago, but what really sealed the deal is the fact that he can be so open about his past and imperfections – those wonderful things that simply make him human! In reference to his drug use in high school, he told one reporter, “I think the problem with politics today is that we try to airbrush our politicians. It is something I did. I’m not proud, but I’m not going to hide it either.” Amen brother!

Soooo I’m not sure what the salient point is here. We are splitters? Because we are human we are sinful and it doesn’t help to hide from it – on the contrary it only invites repugnance? November 2008 is too far away? You decide.

In other news, later today I meet with the thesis committee at school to learn the fate of my beloved thesis proposal: approved or denied. Depending on the outcome, I might be partaking in a little more splitting of my own later on…