Defense Mechanism

 Defense Mechanism

Content

Introduction

Definitions of Defense Mechanism

Need of Defense Mechanism

Types of defense Mechanism

 

Introduction

The term ‘Defense Mechanism’ was first used by Sigmund Freud in his paper ‘The Neuro-psychosis of Defense’ (1890).

Freud noted a number of ego defenses. His daughter Anna Freud (1936) developed these ideas and elaborated them.

Defense Mechanisms are psychological strategies used by an individual’s mind to protect him/her from anxiety arising from unacceptable thoughts or feelings.

Just as our body has immune system to protect itself from foreign substances, the mind also protects itself from harmful and threatening thoughts and impulses by defense mechanism.

Definitions of Defense Mechanism

According to J.D. Page,

“When psychological equilibrium is threatened by severe emotional trauma, frustration or conflicts, the mind resorts to a variety of protective subterfuges and detours called defense mechanism.”

According to Davison and Neale,

 “A defense mechanism is a strategy, unconsciously utilized, that serves to protect the ego from anxiety.”

According to H.A. Carroll,

“Defense mechanism is a device resorted in order to achieve indirect satisfaction of a need so that tension will be reduced and self respect maintained.”

Need of Defense Mechanism

Defense mechanism protects us from the feeling of anxiety and guilt, which arise either due to feeling of threat or when our id and ego becomes too demanding.

Defense mechanism operates at an unconscious level and helps eradicate unpleasant feeling like anxiety, stress etc.

Types of Defense Mechanism

1. Denial

• ‘Denial’ defense mechanism was proposed by Anna Freud.
• Denial proposes refusal to accept reality, thus blocking external events from awareness.
• If a situation is just too much to handle, the person may respond by refusing to perceive it or by denying its existence.
• Example: Many people use denial in their everyday life to avoid dealing with pain or unpleasant feeling or unfavorable situations.

2. Repression

• Repression is the unconscious defense mechanism employed by the ego to keep disturbing or threatening thoughts from becoming conscious.
• Thought that would result in feeling of guilt from super ego are repressed.
• Repression is not a very successful ego defense mechanism, since it involves forcing disturbing wishes, ideas, and memories into the unconscious where although hidden created anxiety.
• Repression motivates forgetting the unwanted and disturbing memory unconsciously.
• Example: A child, who was abused by parents at home, later has no memory of the abuse but has problem forming close relationships with others.

3. Projection

• ‘Projection’ defense mechanism was proposed by Anna Freud.
• In projection, the person attributes unwanted thoughts, feelings, and motives onto another person.
• Projection occurs when a person threatened by his/her own anger, disturbing thoughts, and unpleasant feelings accuses another of harboring hostile thoughts.
• Example: When a person is jealous of someone, his/her superego tells him/her that jealously is unacceptable. So, his/her defense mechanism solves the problem by believing that that someone is jealous of him/her i.e. by projecting his/her feeling onto that someone.

4. Displacement

• Displacement defense mechanism is the redirection of an impulse (usually anger) onto a powerless substitute target. The target can be a person or an object which serves as symbolic substitute.
• Displacement means to transfer an impulse or idea from a threatening object to a less threatening object.
• Displacement occurs when Id wants to do something of which the superego does not permit. The ego thus finds some other way of releasing the psychic energy of the id.
• Example: If a person is angry but cannot direct his/her anger towards the source (superior person) without consequences. He/she might direct his/her anger on someone/something that poses less risk or threat.

5. Regression

• Regression was proposed by Anna Freud.
• In regression, the ego returns to an earlier stage of development usually when faced by stressful feeling or situations. It is known as ‘back journey’.
• It functions as a form of retreat which enables a person to psychologically go back in time to a period when the person felt safer.
• Example: An adult throwing like a kid when he/she can’t get things his/her way.
• Crying or sulking after hearing unpleasant news.

6. Sublimation

• ‘Sublimation’ was proposed by Anna Freud.
• Sublimation takes place when s/he manages to displace her/his emotions into behavior which are constructive and socially acceptable, rather than destructive activities.
• Sublimation involves redirecting bad or unacceptable behavior into good or acceptable behavior.
• Example: A person experiencing or feeling extreme anger takes up boxing as a means of venting out frustration.
• Many artist, musicians have had unhappy lives and have used the medium of art or music to express their emotions like sadness, anger and frustration.

7. Rationalization

• ‘Rationalization’ was proposed by Anna Freud.
• Rationalization defense mechanism involves cognitive distortion of facts to make an event or an impulse less threatening, which includes creating fake excuses for one’s unacceptable feelings, thoughts and behavior.
• When a person finds a situation difficult to accept, his/her defense mechanism employs rationalization to make up logical reason why it happened.
• Example: Justifying cheating in examination by saying that everyone cheats.
• Habitual drinkers say that they drink with their friends just to be sociable.

8. Reaction Formation

• It is also called Reversal Formation.
• Defense mechanism in which a person goes beyond denial and starts behaving in a way totally opposite to what he/she truly feels or thinks. For example: Concealing hatred with kindness.
• Examples: Nita treats Meera, who she strongly dislikes in an extremely friendly manner in order to hide her true feeling.

9. Identification with Aggressor

• ‘Identification with Aggressor’ was proposed by Sandor Ferenczi and later developed by Anna Freud.
• This defense mechanism involves the victim adopting the behavior of a person who is more powerful and hostile towards his/her.
• Focus is primarily on negative or feared traits i.e. if a person is afraid of someone, he/she will conquer the fear by becoming like that someone.
• Example: An extreme example of identification with Aggressor is the Stockholm syndrome where the hostage identifies with the terrorist.

10. Withdrawal

• Withdrawal defense mechanism involves escaping from or avoiding situations that maybe emotionally as well as psychologically challenging.
• Withdrawal is used by people when they face failure or rejection and want to avoid that situation.
• Example: A person does not make friends due to the fear of rejection in making friends.

11. Fantasy

• Defense mechanism in which a person retreats into fantasy in order to resolve his/her inner or outer conflicts.
• The person achieves temporary satisfaction through fantasy of imagined achievement.
• Fantasy is a retreat into an imaginative world to stop thinking about one’s current distress or problems.
• Example: Making up stories of how successful you are, instead of actually working on being successful.

12. Compensation

• Defense mechanism in which people over achieve in one are to compensate for failure in another.
• It is psychologically counter balancing perceived weakness by emphasizing strength in other areas.
• Example: A blind woman becomes excellent piano player.