The process of viewing someone or something as worthless, flawed, or much worse than reality. It often follows idealization in unstable relationships, representing the opposite extreme of black-and-white thinking.
From Latin 'de-' (down, away) and 'valere' (to be worth), originally an economic term for reducing currency value. The psychological usage emerged in the mid-20th century to describe how people defensively diminish others' worth when feeling threatened or disappointed.
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