Understanding Idealization: Beyond Cognitive Appraisals

Meanings of idealization were explored from psychoanalytic and social psychological perspectives. Idealization relating to normal development, as described by Kohut and Kernberg, ranges from an unrealistic belief that the other is all-good and omnipotent to a more realistic appreciation of a separate other. Idealization which represents a pathological process was also discussed by Kernberg. Social psychologists (e.g., Hall & Taylor) operationalized idealization in terms of cognitive appraisals and studied it in the context of love.

To construct a new measure, items were generated to represent various types and meanings of idealization. In phase I of research, 230 items were administered to 175 undergraduates. Based on their response, 39 items were selected for a new measure—the IZ. The IZ was then administered, along with comparison, measures, to a second group of 250 undergraduates; the 207 who were ages 17 through 25 comprised the Phase II Sample. Comparison measures included scales purported to assess idealization as well as instruments related to love types, attachment styles, dependency, autonomy, borderline personality organization, and narcissistic personality disorder.

Results from Phase I and Phase II samples indicated that the IZ is internally consistent and unidimensional. Phase II comparisons provided strong evidence of convergent validity for the IZ. The IZ was strongly related to the Mania love style and to a set of items measuring Tennov’s concept of limerence. It showed moderate to strong correlations with measures of Emotional Reliance on Another Person and borderline personality disorder. It was moderately correlated with the anxious/ambivalent attachment style and with desperate love. In addition, it was moderately related to Goal Instability, a measure based on Kohut’s descriptions of idealization. Patterns of findings suggested that the IZ measures a type of idealization characterized by a wish for an emotionally sustaining relationship with an all-good and powerful other and by a belief that such a relationship is not possible. Directions for further research and clinical implications were briefly discussed.