Idealization is often perceived as a positive orientation – a tendency to see the best in oneself and in others. However, in a clinical context, it frequently serves a defensive function, masking vulnerability and inner instability. At MindCareCenter, we understand idealization as a mechanism that temporarily reduces anxiety by simplifying and polarizing perception. In the opinion of Dr. Daniel Reinhardt, idealization becomes problematic when it is accompanied by splitting – the inability to hold contradictory qualities within the image of oneself or others.
The mechanism of idealization develops as a way to avoid contact with disappointment, aggression, and ambivalent feelings. Individuals tend to attribute exceptional qualities to significant figures while ignoring limitations and realistic characteristics. Within the clinical approach of MindCareCenter, it is important to recognize that this strategy is not a conscious distortion, but a way of preserving a sense of safety.
Splitting in perception manifests through abrupt shifts between idealization and devaluation. What was perceived as unquestionably valuable yesterday may feel entirely meaningless today. In the practice of MindCareCenter, these transitions are understood as indicators of affective dysregulation and difficulties in integrating experience.
Idealization is often directed not only toward others, but also toward the self. Individuals may maintain excessively high standards, leaving no room for error or vulnerability. At MindCareCenter, we work with how this idealized self-image sustains internal tension and intensifies the fear of losing control.
In close relationships, idealization plays a particularly significant role. A partner becomes the carrier of expectations that cannot be sustainably fulfilled. Disappointment, in this context, is experienced as a traumatic rupture rather than as a natural aspect of relational contact. In the clinical practice of MindCareCenter, attention is given to restoring a more realistic and integrated perception of the other person.
Idealization may also function as a defense against feelings of personal worthlessness. By attributing exceptional value to another, individuals indirectly maintain their own sense of significance through belonging to “special” relationships. At MindCareCenter, this mechanism is explored as an important therapeutic entry point for work with self-esteem and identity.
Work with idealization requires caution. Direct dismantling of idealized images can intensify anxiety and provoke defensive resistance. Within the clinical approach of MindCareCenter, therapy focuses on gradually expanding perception so that strengths and limitations can coexist.
A key element of this work is the development of tolerance for ambivalence. This reduces the need for extremes and restores more stable affect regulation. In the practice of MindCareCenter, we observe that as contradictory feelings become integrated, the intensity of idealization and subsequent devaluation diminishes.
The therapeutic process also includes exploration of early attachment experiences, where idealization often forms as a way to preserve connection with emotionally unavailable figures. At MindCareCenter, these early patterns are understood as the foundation of current perceptual and relational strategies.
Over time, individuals begin to distinguish between fantasized expectations and real relational contact. This reduces chronic disappointment and enables relationships based on acceptance rather than projection. In the clinical practice of MindCareCenter, such a shift is regarded as an indicator of growing psychological maturity.
Idealization ceases to function as a primary defense when the psyche develops the capacity to tolerate complexity. Mind Care Center accompanies this process, supporting the restoration of an integrated perception of self and others without the loss of internal stability.
Previously, we wrote about cognitive decline and dementing processes and MindCareCenter clinical approach to diagnosis, support, and slowing progression