Defense mechanism in Psychoanalysis Theory

Introduction

Defence mechanisms are unconscious psychological strategies

brought in to cope with reality and to maintain self-image. Healthy

persons normally use different defences throughout life. When anxiety

occurs, the mind first responds by an increase in problem-solving

thinking, seeking rational ways of escaping the situation. If this is not

working, a range of defense mechanisms may be triggered.

All Defense Mechanisms share two common properties :

* They often appear unconsciously.

* They tend to distort, transform, or otherwise falsify reality.

Types of defense mechanism

1) Repression

Repression is the blocking of unacceptable impulses from

consciousness. It is like pushing uncomfortable thoughts into the

subconscious and acts to keep information out of conscious

awareness .Sometimes we do this consciously by forcing the unwanted

information out of our awareness, which is known as suppression, but

it is usually believed to occur unconsciously. Feelings, experience and

past incidents that is disturbing till now. For an example, she is not

happy with the present boyfriend because still remembering the past

boyfriend.
2) Regression

Regression is the reversion and going back to an earlier stage of

development in the face of unacceptable impulses. For an example an

adolescent who is overwhelmed with fear, anger and growing sexual

impulses might become clinging and begin thumb sucking or bed

wetting and going back to acting as a child. When confronted by

stressful events, people sometimes abandon coping strategies and

revert to patterns of behavior used earlier in development.

3) Rationalization

Regression is a defense mechanism that involves explaining an

unacceptable behavior or feeling in a rational or logical manner,

avoiding the true explanation for the behavior. For example, a person

who is turned down for a date might rationalize the situation by saying

they weren't attracted to the other person anyway, or a student who

blames a poor exam score on the instructor rather than his or her lack

of preparation.

4) Sublimation

Sublimation is the channeling of unacceptable impulses into more

acceptable outlets. It means redirecting 'wrong' urges into socially

acceptable actions. For example, a person experiencing extreme anger

might take up kick boxing as a means of venting frustration.

5) Projection

Projection is a defense mechanism that involves taking our own

unacceptable qualities or feelings and ascribing them to other people.

For example, if you have a strong dislike for someone, you might

instead believe that he or she does not like you. Projection functions to

allow the expression of the desire or impulse, but in a way that the ego

cannot recognize, therefore reducing anxiety.

6) Introjection

Introjection is the tendency to uncritically accept others beliefs and

standards without them to make them congruent with who we are.

These introjects remain alien to us because we have analyzes and

restructured them. When we introject, we passively incorporate what

the environment provides, spending little time on becoming clear

about what we want or need. If we remain in this stage, our energy is

bound up in taking things we find them. For an example, when she

sang that song, she sounded exactly like Siti Nurhaliza.

7) Compensation

Compensation is a process of psychologically counterbalancing

perceived weaknesses by emphasizing strength in other arenas. It also

means overachieving in one area to compensate for failures in

another. For an example, Lina doesn’t do well in her study but she is a

good runner.

8) Displacement
Displacement is the redirecting of thoughts feelings and impulses from

an object that gives rise to anxiety to a safer, more acceptable one.

For an example, you being angry at the boss but you kick the dog.

9) Undoing

Undoing is the attempt to take back behavior or thoughts that are

unacceptable. An example of undoing would be excessively praising

someone after having insulted them

10) Reaction formation

Reaction formation is the converting of wishes or impulses that are

perceived to be dangerous into their opposites. Reaction formation

reduces anxiety by taking up the opposite feeling, impulse, or

behavior. An example of reaction formation would be treating someone

you strongly dislike in an excessively friendly manner in order to hide

your true feelings.

11) Fixation

Fixation is a defense which relates to the earlier developmental stages.

The term is used to explain when an individual gets stuck at a certain

stage or fixed in their outlook, demonstrating failure to progress from

one stage of development to the next.

12) Aggression
Aggression is a way to deflect thinking from whatever is causing the

anxiety. Aggressive people are usually anxious about something and

trying to avoid the emotion involved with the anxiety. They strike out

at everyone else around them instead of dealing with their emotions.

13) Denial

Denial is claiming or believing that what is true to be actually false. It is

the refusal to accept reality and to act as if a painful event, thought or

feeling did not exist. For an example, Ali is diagnosed with cancer but

he refuse to think that it is true.

14) Betrayal

Involves turning to other people for support. For an example, he looks

like he is supporting us but he is really actually supporting the

opponent.

15) Lying

To make false statements towards other person in order to defense

he/her self. For an example, Aminah lied to her mother that she went

to school but really she went shopping with her friends.