Differentiating Extremes in Psychological Attention: An Integrative Model for Coherence and Therapy

Background: People frequently think and feel in polarized extremes, such as rigid control versus chaos or idealization versus devaluation, reducing psychological coherence and well-being.Objectives: We propose a conceptual framework that integrates classic and contemporary psychological theories to explain and therapeutically address these oscillations.Methods: Drawing on psychoanalytic theory (Freud, 1936; Kernberg, 1975), Gestalt therapy concepts of creative indifference (Perls, 1973), Jung’s principle of enantiodromia (Jung, 1921), and dialectical behavior therapy’s “wise mind” (Linehan, 2015), we synthesized a unifying model. Three constructs emerged: the axis of attention with two distorted poles; the architectural center, a locus of dynamic integration; and a Dictionary of Coherence that maps common polarities.Results: The model demonstrates how defense mechanisms such as splitting (Klein, 1946) and projection (Vaillant, 1992) bias attention toward one pole, while therapeutic interventions—including mindfulness, two-chair dialogue, and cognitive restructuring—support differentiation and re-centering.Conclusions: Differentiating and integrating extremes promotes resilience and coherent self-organization. This framework unifies diverse therapeutic techniques under a single conceptual mechanism and provides testable hypotheses for future empirical research.