Sometimes life presents us with unpleasant surprises. Finding himself in a problematic situation from which he does not see a way out, a person often experiences strong negative experiences. If they are so severe or prolonged that they threaten mental health, then psychological defense mechanisms are activated. This is how our brain prevents the destructive action of negative emotions.
What is psychological defense
For the first time, various types of psychological defense and their action were described by Z. Freud. An important place in his theory is occupied by the problem of the conflict between “It” and “I”, between suppressed or unconscious desires of the unconscious and social control of consciousness. The inability to satisfy these desires, their contradiction to the norms of society or objective reality, causes a person to feel discomfort, anxiety, and often even stronger experiences. Growing dissatisfaction and internal conflict can lead to serious psychological problems and even illness.
In this situation, the means of psychological defense developed over millennia of evolution come into force. This is an unconscious and poorly controlled reaction to internal destabilization. Defensive behavior often looks strange and illogical even for the person himself, not to mention those around him. But for a while, it helps to weaken unpleasant experiences, block internal conflict and stabilize the psyche.
Types of defense mechanisms according to Z. Freud
Psychological protection never solves the problems that have arisen, it helps to avoid them, creates the illusion that everything is normal. However, for the temporary harmonization of human relations with the world and oneself, this is suitable. And Freud described 8 types of psychological defense, which manifest themselves in different conditions and work in different ways.
crowding out
This is one of the most common psychological defenses. If thoughts seem to be unacceptable and frighten the person himself, and desires cannot be satisfied, then they are suppressed and displaced to the level of the unconscious. A person, as it were, demonstratively does not want what he was striving for, but could not get.
A hopelessly in love young man can gladly and often tell his friends about the shortcomings of his (as he believes, former) beloved. The child, who had a hard time going through the departure of the mother, pushed her image out of consciousness and “forgot” it. And when the mother returns, the baby refuses to recognize her, cries and does not make contact.
The effect of imaginary forgetting quite often accompanies repression. So, a person who finds himself at the scene of a disaster or has lost a loved one can forget the details of this traumatic event, driving too difficult memories to the level of the unconscious.
However, repression is never complete, difficult memories, forbidden desires and thoughts strive to overcome the psychological barrier and break out to the level of consciousness. To contain them, a person has to spend a lot of energy, so he often suffers from various diseases: hypertension, gastritis, neurodermatitis, arthritis, etc. Even more often, repression causes the development of neuroses.
Substitution
This is also a fairly common psychological defense mechanism. It resembles repression, only when replacing the energy of unsatisfied desire is not suppressed, but transferred to another object, more accessible, less dangerous, not associated with moral prohibitions.
The substitution effect is clearly visible in the behavior of children. A child punished by his parents throws toys or pushes his younger sister in irritation. A teenager who gets a bad grade tears up his notebook angrily. They are offended by their parents and teachers, but these objects are inaccessible for revenge, so another object is chosen to relieve the irritation and a substitution takes place. Adults who take out dissatisfaction with life, work, and boss on their loved ones behave in the same way.
Z. Freud understood the term “substitution” rather broadly and, as an example of this mechanism of psychological defense, cited dreams in which suppressed desires are actualized. They seem to be fulfilled, but illusory, in dreams.
Substitution may have another form, described after Freud. It manifests itself in the transfer of needs to another object. So, a man can transfer his unfulfilled need for love and trust of his wife to the car. He looks after her, talks to her, gives her a name. And a single woman satisfies her need for a family by surrounding herself with cats.
Projection
When the desire is too hot to be abandoned and too “wrong” to satisfy, the projection mechanism takes over. This desire is projected onto others, and they appear as an object of criticism and censure. A person, as in childhood, seems to say: “It’s not me that is bad, but they.”
I think everyone knows the picture of grandmothers on the bench, foaming at the mouth, condemning the “depraved youth”? Elderly women are no longer available, so the bitterness of memories of lost opportunities is removed with the help of projection. And the unfaithful husband suddenly becomes suspicious and looks for an excuse to accuse his wife of treason.
And often those personality traits (laziness, non-obligation, deceit, inconstancy, etc.) that a person actively condemns in others are inherent in him, only he does not want to admit it. And in order to get rid of the painful feeling of guilt, he projects his “sins” onto others.
Rationalization
How often, having committed an unseemly act, we try to find a compelling justification for it, explain it logically, justify it, giving seemingly very reasonable arguments. This psychological defense mechanism is called rationalization. Such “logical” justifications of the act have nothing to do with the true reason, they were invented by a person after the act was performed. But in fairness, I must say that usually a person does not suspect about the real reason, so deeply it is hidden at the level of the unconscious.
Rationalization can concern not only misconduct, but also failure. Nobody wants to feel like a loser, so people are trying to find a rational explanation for this. An unloved and low-paid job is justified by its stability, calmness, a good psychological climate, an undemanding boss, by the fact that there is no need to run in search of something more prestigious. Anything, just not to admit that you are a loser or lazy.
Inversion (reactive education)
The result of the inversion is the “flip” desire. If a person cannot get what he wants, then he replaces it with the opposite and realizes it. The illusion is created that the need is satisfied. For example, inversion often occurs in a situation of unrequited love.
The inversion is carried out in two stages, with the first being displacement. An unsatisfied, forbidden desire or traumatic situation is first hidden at the level of the unconscious. But even there they affect a person, causing unpleasant emotions. Therefore, there is a replacement for the exact opposite.
Insulation
Unable to cope with an unfavorable situation, a person, as it were, separates himself from it, takes the negative out of the personality. This allows you not to worry, faced with the same unsolvable problem every day, but it can lead to a split personality. And the position of the ostrich, hiding its head in the sand, does not help the search for a way out of a difficult situation.
Regression
In difficult situations, defending against the need to resolve unpleasant issues, a person often chooses primitive forms of behavior and communication, reacts like a child: refuses to recognize logic, complains, blames others, takes offense at trifles, scandals, is capricious, etc. Stubbornness, aspiration overthrowing authorities and breaking rules is also a manifestation of this psychological defense mechanism.
Many bad habits are also referred to as regressive forms of behavior: biting nails, smoking, etc. In severe cases, as a result of psychological trauma, a person can “fall into childhood” – not only behave like a minor, but also feel like one.
Sublimation
This is, one might say, the first form of psychological defense described by Freud. It is even difficult to call it a separate species, since it includes features of different mechanisms. Sublimation is the transformation of the energy of an unattainable or forbidden desire into other forms of activity in different areas of life. So, sexual desires are often sublimated in creativity: in poetry, painting, sculpture. But the sphere of politics and social activity is also a good area for sublimation, since it requires activity and investment of energy from the individual.
Sublimation helps not only get rid of obsessive desires, but also prevents the negative influence of their unrealized energy. Otherwise, the suppression of needs and instincts manifests itself in neuroses, psychosis, complexes and psychosomatic diseases, for example, cardiovascular diseases.
Z. Freud identified two levels of psychological defenses:
- The first, primitive, includes mechanisms based on repression, concealment, suppression of desires and instincts. They often have a bad effect on the state of the human psyche and on general health, as they require a lot of energy.
- The second, higher level is based on the transformation of desire energy and directing it to another sphere, which makes this group of psychological defenses more acceptable. This level includes, for example, sublimation. And in a situation where it is impossible to cope with a desire or a problem situation, it is preferable to transfer psychological defense to this level.
A modern view of the problem of psychological defenses
Z. Freud’s doctrine of the mechanisms of psychological defense had many followers. And at the present time, albeit with some reservations, it is recognized by representatives of all leading areas of psychology. The list of types of psychological defenses was significantly expanded, it included, for example, the following:
- compensation – replenishment of what is lacking in reality with the products of the imagination, withdrawal into the imaginary world or passion for religious cults;
- expulsion of a role – relieving oneself of responsibility for what is happening;
- desacralization (according to A. Maslow) – a skeptical or even contemptuous attitude towards social values and their recognition as insignificant, which helps to get rid of the pressure of taboos and prohibitions;
- self-blame – accepting the role of a victim or blaming oneself for all the troubles, which allows not to deal with their real causes;
- withdrawal into virtual reality is one of the new ways of psychological protection, which helps to limit contact with reality that does not bring satisfaction.
These are not all types of defenses that are found in various books and textbooks on psychology. But all of them – both those described by Z. Freud and those identified by more modern psychologists – have two things in common:
- are not realized by the subject, therefore they are not controlled;
- create an illusion that prevents a person from perceiving reality adequately.
Psychological defenses are self-deception. In certain cases and for a short time, it really helps a person to come to terms with the reality traumatizing the psyche. But, as Z. Freud noted, long-term use of defense mechanisms, especially when it comes to preference for one particular species, has a bad effect on the human psyche. He not only loses touch with reality, but also begins to experience problems of a neurotic nature.
The person himself usually is not aware of the actions of psychological defense and, most importantly, its causes, but the consequences of defensive behavior may bother him. It is very difficult to regulate the action of these mechanisms on your own, therefore it is better to contact a qualified psychologist: a psychotherapist or psychoanalyst.
