Defense Mechanisms: What They Are, And Their 10 Most Important Types
Defense mechanisms are part of the most important concepts in the theory of psychoanalysis emerged from the works of Sigmund Freud.
It is a series of psychological processes that, hypothetically, would regulate the way in which the contents of the unconscious manifest themselves in our consciousness and in our behaviors.
In this article we will see what exactly defense mechanisms are, with several examples and a classification of their main types.
Characteristics of defense mechanisms in psychoanalysis
In the article “Sigmund Freud: life and work of the famous psychoanalyst” we commented that the function of I is to satisfy the impulses of it and not offend the moral character of the superego, while reality is valued. This is not an easy task, and Freud describes that the I It uses mechanisms to manage conflicts between these psychic instances.
Defense mechanisms, therefore, are procedures that maintain psychological balance unconsciously to face anguish or anxiety associated with the conscious expression of an instinctual representation (sexual or aggressive), with the transgression of the moral code, or with a real external danger.
That is to say, starting from the idea that there are contents belonging to the realm of the unconscious that cannot simply pass into consciousness because they would disturb us too much, the defense mechanisms would make it possible for part of them to pass a kind of filter, being expressed and a way in which they are denied or too distorted to affect us much.
We must not forget that based on the original psychoanalytic theories, The human mind can be understood as an interconnected system of competing influences that fight against each other to impose their logic of behavioral regulation; In this sense, defense mechanisms are resources used by entities that try to maintain control over primary impulses and counteract the influence of the most short-term and selfish side of the person, at least superficially. In this way, according to psychoanalysis, defense mechanisms protect the person’s self-esteem and mental stability, hiding the most uncomfortable realities about oneself and about one’s own life and what surrounds us.
Defense mechanisms are incorrect ways of resolving psychological conflict and can lead to disorders in mind, behavior and, in the most extreme cases, somatization of the psychological conflict that causes it.
Types of defense mechanisms
Below you will find a summary of the main types of defense mechanisms described in the theories of psychoanalysis
1. Scroll
It refers to the redirection of an impulse (usually aggression) towards a person or an object For example, someone who feels frustrated with his boss and kicks his dog or a piece of furniture. In this case we find ourselves faced with a defense mechanism: since it is not possible for us to hit the boss because he would fire us from work, we displace the object of our anger towards any other being or object.
2. Sublimation
It is similar to displacement, but the momentum is channeled into a more acceptable form. A sexual drive is sublimated towards a non-sexual purpose, pointing to objects valued positively by society, such as artistic activity, physical activity or intellectual research. Explanations of human behavior based on this defense mechanism were widely used by Sigmund Freud, for whom libido was one of the most important forms of psychic energy.
3. Repression
It is the mechanism that Sigmund Freud first discovered. It refers to process by which the self erases events and thoughts that would be painful if held at the conscious level since the satisfaction of the repressed drive is irreconcilable with other demands of the superego or reality.
4. Projection
Make reference to the tendency of individuals to attribute (project) their own thoughts, motives, or feelings onto another person The most common projections may be aggressive behaviors that provoke a feeling of guilt, and socially unacceptable sexual thoughts or fantasies. For example, a girl hates her roommate, but the superego He tells her that this is unacceptable. He may solve the problem by thinking that it is the other person who hates him.
It is the mechanism by which the subject blocks external events so that they are not part of consciousness and, therefore, treats obvious aspects of reality as if they did not exist. For example, a smoker who denies that smoking can cause serious health problems. By denying these harmful effects of tobacco, you can tolerate your habit better, naturalizing it.
6. Regression
Make reference to any regression to previous situations or habits, a return to immature behavior patterns For example, a teenager who is not allowed to go to a friend’s house for a weekend and reacts by throwing a tantrum and yelling in front of his parents, as if he were a younger child.
7. Reactive training
Impulses are not only repressed but also They control themselves by exaggerating the opposite behavior That is, the appearance of a painful thought is stopped by replacing it with a more pleasant one. For example, a person who is very angry with a friend, but tells him that everything is fine to avoid the argument.
8. Isolation
It is a mechanism by which Memories are divorced from feelings, as a way of better supporting and tolerating the facts and reality. An idea that is intolerable to the ego is separated from the emotions it produces, thus remaining in consciousness in a weakened form. For example, recounting a traumatic episode with total normality, just as if you were talking about the weather or any other trivial matter.
9. Condensation
It is a mechanism by which certain elements of the unconscious (latent content) are brought together into a single image or object during sleep It consists of the concentration of several meanings in a single symbol. The process of condensation makes the account of manifest content much shorter than the description of latent content. It is a term that arises from psychoanalytic explanations that account for the creation of dreams.
In the rationalization a real reason that is not acceptable is replaced by another that is acceptable That is, the perspective of reality is changed by offering a different explanation. For example, a woman falls madly in love with a man, and they begin a relationship. After a month of starting the courtship, the man breaks up the relationship because he considers that the woman has very low self-confidence and does not let her breathe. Even though the woman has had three consecutive love failures for the same reason, she concludes: “I already knew that this man was a loser,” or “from the first moment I knew that this man did not suit me.”
