Defense Mechanisms
Defense mechanisms are one of the most important aspects of psychology to comprehend. Defense mechanisms are human responses to stress, anxiety, threats, and anything that they don’t want to consider or address. People often apply defense mechanisms unconsciously, without even being aware that they use them or their impacts. Some defense mechanisms protect our conscious minds from contradictions between our “animal” instincts and the rules of society. Defense mechanisms often result from trauma, especially that experienced in childhood. Many, but not all, defense mechanisms can have negative effects on a person’s mental health, though some are positive adaptations to stress.
//TODO: example
You don't have to memorize all of the names, but try to get an idea of how each can affect behavior and how you can identify each in the words and actions of other people.
- Denial is when a person denies that they have experienced a situation or denies their own feelings. For example, someone who is ashamed about a mistake that they have made may refuse to admit their true emotions.
- Displacement is when a person “displaces” their feelings onto others, such as when you express anger at one person when you are angry at yourself or another person.
- Intellectualization is when a person analyses stressful situations without acknowledging their actual emotions. For example, when a person dies, a relative may focus on the logistics of their funeral rather than processing their grief.
- Projection is when a person assigns their own feelings or qualities to others. A common example is that a liar suspects or accuses others of lying, a thief suspects or accuses others of theft, or a cheater suspects or accuses others of cheating.
- Rationalization is when we use flawed logic to justify feelings and behavior that are inappropriate. For example, if a company does not hire a candidate for a position after a poor interview, the person may decide that that job was not the optimal opportunity for them.
- Reaction Formation is when we replace undesirable impulses with their opposites, such as if a person behaves as if they are pleased by something that has dissatisfied them.
- Regression is when we revert to behaviors that are inappropriate for our current stage in life, such as sucking a thumb to alleviate stress.
- Repression is when a person unconsciously prevents information about an experience or feeling from reaching their conscious mind. A common example is an adult that is unable to remember abuse that they experienced as a child.
- Sublimation is when a person translates impulses that they consider unacceptable to behaviors that they can tolerate. For example, in response to conflict, a person may choose to go for a walk or breathe deeply while counting to ten rather than engaging in argumentation, yelling, intimidation, or physical violence. Especially when the sublimation behavior does not cause other problems and the person eventually addresses the situation that led to their response, sublimation can be a healthy coping strategy for stressful situations.
- Suppression is when a person consciously prevent themselves from consciously processing unpleasant information. Again, a common example is when a person avoids considering abuse that they experienced as a child.
- Acting Out is when a person engages in irrelevant activities to avoid addressing certain feelings and stressful situations. For example, after finding out that someone has transgressed against them in some way, a person may avoid expressing their feelings about that matter by engaging in conflicts about other issues, yelling, or physical behavior such as gaining attention by slamming things.
- Aim Inhibition is when a person modifies their goal in response to inability to achieve their objective. For example, if a person cannot become a dentist for some reason, they may choose to become a dental hygienist. Aim inhibition is not always an unhealthy response, such as when they consciously consider their behavior.
- Altruism is when a person attempts to address their own needs by helping others (excessively). For example, an alcoholic may attempt to help other alcoholics quit drinking. In different amounts for different individuals, altruism is not always an unhealthy response, as helping others can be a key source of life satisfaction. Altruism can be unhealthy when a person loses sight of their own goals and needs in deference to others, as for most people, selflessness does not lead to satisfaction. Not all people have the same need or the same level of need in any regard.
- Avoidance is when we prevent ourselves from encountering circumstances that bring us discomfort. For example, a person with a fear of open spaces may avoid leaving their home.
- Compensation is when a person extends themselves excessively in one area to balance against their limitations in another area. For example, a person that does not perform well at math may choose to invest excessively in their language skills.
- Dissociation is when a person separates their consciousness from their situation. For example, while suffering some humiliation or abuse, a person may disconnect mentally or emotionally from their current circumstances into a trance-like or dream-like state.
- Fantasy is when a person avoid reality by constructing artificial edifices in their mind. To avoid addressing a stressful situation, a person may focus on imaginary mental constructions.
- Humor is when a person makes light of a stressful situation, such as making a joke in response to something traumatic.
- Passive Aggression is when a person expresses their negative feelings in an indirect manner. For example, a person may choose to avoid answering questions from another person with whom they are upset.
- Undoing is when a person tries to compensate for thoughts, feelings, or behaviors that they consider to be inappropriate or unjustified. For example, after offending someone, an individual may perform acts of kindness for the offended individual without addressing their original offense.