On This Day - Dec. 2

1805 CE - The Grand Armée of the First French Empire, under the command of Napoleon Bonaparte, defeats a joint Russo-Austrian force at the Battle of Austerlitz during the Napoleonic Wars. 

Photo of the Day

Portraits from the site of Hadda, Gandhara, Afghanistan, 3rd century.




In the News

Hong Kong Warns Protesters Not to Return After Clashes Close Government HQ
NATO Chief Accuses Russia of Violating Ukraine Ceasefire
Iran to Turn Uranium into Reactor Fuel Under Extended Deal
Gunmen Kill 36 Workers in a Kenyan Quarry Near Somalia Border
Origins of Human Alcohol Consumption Revealed

Quote of the Day

"Does the brain control you or are you controlling the brain? I don't know if I'm in charge of mine". --Karl Pilkington

Song of the Day

Hold On, I'm Comin'
Artist - Sam & Dave
Album - Hold On, I'm Comin'

Film of the Day

Vanishing Point
Director - Richard C. Sarafian
Starring - Barry Newman, Cleavon Little, Dean Jagger

Wiki of the Day

Splitting (also called all-or-nothing thinking) is the failure in a person's thinking to bring together both positive and negative qualities of the self and others into a cohesive, realistic whole. It is a common defense mechanism used by many people.^[1] The individual tends to think in extremes (i.e., an individual's actions and motivations are all good or all bad with no middle ground.)

The concept of splitting was developed by Ronald Fairbairn in his formulation of object relations theory;^[2] it begins as the inability of the infant to combine the fulfilling aspects of the parents (the good object) and their unresponsive aspects (the unsatisfying object) into the same individuals, but sees the good and bad as separate. In psychoanalytic theory this functions as a defense mechanism.^[3] It is a relatively common defense mechanism for people with borderline personality disorder in DSM-IV-TR.

Splitting diffuses the anxiety that arises from one's inability to grasp the nuances and complexities of a given situation or state of affairs by simplifying and schematizing the situation and thereby making it easier to think about. It relieves the person of having to confront the uncertainty engendered by the fact that people have both bad and good qualities. It also reinforces one's sense of self as good and virtuous by effectively demonizing all those who do not share in one's opinions and values.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Splitting_(psychology)