ERM* – Delusional Dichotomy Disorder

Delusional Dichotomy Disorder (DDD) refers to (and is here defined as) the human predisposition (i.e., tendency) for taking a simplistic view of complex phenomena.[1]

A simplistic view is generally one in which a binary perspective of a situation is taken – and it involves seeing an issue (as in seeking to understand and deal with it) in either/or terms; e.g., yes/no, good/bad, right/wrong, black/white, for-me/against-me. This natural predilection in human beings for taking a dichotomous view of things (at least initially) stems from 1) our Elephant’s like/dislike driver [2] (this being implicit within its “emotional reasoning”), and 2) our human desire (or need) to understand phenomena, which usually begins with a simplistic appraisal (black & white view) before it can evolve or develop into the complex (gray) assessment.

Now a more mature and enlightened individual [3] comes to understand that reality is far more nuanced – the world is in fact quite complex. Yet conditioning – i.e., what we learn from our parents, our schooling, our religious and political ideologies, as well as the media and entertainment industries – tends to promote and reinforce the more simplistic worldview perspective (i.e., resorting to that dichotomous interpretation and judgment). And within this narrow and limiting experiential understanding of what goes on, the dysfunctional state of delusion is enabled– and not just one in which we misapprehend the reality or hold on to false beliefs, but one in which we don’t see or hear or recognize what else is really going on!

Now…taking the dichotomous view is not meant to imply that it’s always wrong, inaccurate, or inappropriate – it may be, in fact, and often is quite useful!  But where humans usually get into trouble is when we indulge our binary view in a situation that is complex. For in so doing it prevents us from being open to, considering, and utilizing other facts, perspectives and interpretations…ones that may be quite relevant, meaningful, a lot more helpful, and – often of even greater importance – less harming (to ourselves and others).

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Is there an antidote or treatment for DDD?  But of course! One is called critical thinking; others might include engaging the scientific method, using disputation [as in CBT], working the Socratic method, or meditation. Yet the delusional nature of this disorder is as much (if not more) about the emotion that has overwhelmed and blinds the Rider. And thus a particular psychological state must be accessible – and engaged – to address and then mitigate, avoid, or prevent the potentially harmful and dysfunctional consequences of DDD.

This “state” is one where the Rider can “step back from” or “rise above” the strong emotional bias that informs the dichotomous view and strive for some degree of objectivity. E.g., one could start by engaging the Observing Self. For the cautionary tale of DDD lies in the old maxim:

“You can’t solve the problem…until you see the problem.”

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[1] Note: DDD is not part of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders [DSM-5], APA, 2013; and in no way relates to the DSM-5’s Delusional Disorder (previously called paranoid disorder) which is a type of serious mental illness involving psychosis (i.e., people so diagnosed can’t tell what’s real from what is imagined).

[2] Often experienced as “a gut reaction,” the like/dislike driver is our Elephant’s initial reaction to an event, an unfamiliar situation, a new issue, or even meeting someone for the first time. It may be experienced by the Rider (i.e., consciously), though often in rather a subtle way; and tends to bias or prejudice us in later reactions and feelings without the conscious Rider even really knowing it…

[3] Which has little to do with chronological age, mind you…

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*Elephant/Rider Model: The Happiness Hypothesis, Jonathan Haidt, 2006.