Defense Mechanisms
Anxiety and sadness, for example, are difficult emotions to deal with. You may still feel pain even if you manage a tough emotion in a healthy manner. When people are harmed, they create defence mechanisms to protect themselves. Defense mechanisms (dih FENS MEK uh niz umz) are ways to protect oneself from experiencing further pain. They can assist you in overcoming obstacles and dealing with terrible events. People are frequently unaware that they are utilising defensive mechanisms because they mask undesirable sensations. This implies that your actions may appear perplexing. You might not realise it, but you've gotten reliant on a defensive approach to coping with difficulties. Examining the most frequent defence mechanisms may assist you in identifying some of your own.
Defense systems are frequently beneficial. They are sometimes required for survival. They can, however, be overused. When a defensive mechanism quits protecting you from your actual feelings, it is no longer useful.
Feelings must be allowed to run their course. When an unpleasant feeling is suppressed over an extended period of time, the discomfort becomes increasingly difficult to manage. People must establish their own emotional and defensive systems balance. They must choose if their own protective systems operate in favour of or against their long-term mental health.
Rationalization
Many rationalizers are unaware that they are concealing the truth. Their acts appear to them to be logical and appropriate. Making an excuse for a mistake or failure is known as rationalisation [ra shun uh lih ZAY shun]. It's an attempt to maintain one's self-esteem while also avoiding emotions of guilt. When people invent a rationale for anything, they are rationalising. They do this because facing the truth is too difficult. Rachel was nervous about giving her speech because she was terrified of failing. Let's say Rachel doesn't want to go to school that day because she thinks she has the illness. She's trying to justify herself. For a while, rationalisation can help you keep your dignity. However, accepting reality and being honest about your feelings are more effective strategies to boost self-esteem.
Compensation
Compensation is the process of masking flaws by attempting to excel in other areas. To mask a dread of being unpopular, someone could become the class clown. This would be a compensatory measure. It generally happens when people are insecure and have unrealistic expectations of themselves.
Karen took the necklace because she is timid around males and believes that dressing up would help her become more popular. Karen is remunerating herself. It would be preferable if she tried to establish friends by being genuine and upbeat. Clothes alone will not make her feel less shy or help her make friends.
Compensation can be a useful defensive mechanism in some instances. It has the potential to help you realise your full potential. Many handicapped persons, for example, compensate for their lack of aptitude in one direction by excelling in another.
Projection
Mark was enraged at his younger brother Tim for crashing his bike. Assume Mark despises his own rage and believes Tim is enraged at him instead. Mark is projecting because he sees his own feelings in someone else. Projection is the act of perceiving your own flaws or sentiments in others, even when they do not exist. When people accuse others of having their own qualities, whether quietly or out loud, they are projecting. When people don't like what they see in themselves, they adopt this protective mechanism. They feel liberated from their flaws when they see them in someone else.
Projections are frequent, yet they don't have to be a problem. However, if you use it frequently enough, it might protect you from addressing the opinions you truly have about yourself. It can also prevent you from comprehending what others are saying.
Identification
Identification is defined as a feeling of belonging and resemblance to someone else. Identifying with someone you like is a defensive strategy that helps you to imagine having someone else's style or talents. This enables you to overlook your own flaws. Miguel related to his grandpa, who was a professional baseball player.
Miguel came to believe that his grandfather's achievements were his own as a result of identification. It's not always a bad thing to feel identified. It's excellent to appreciate nice individuals and attempt to emulate the characteristics you admire in them. If you ignore your own personality development, identification might become an issue.
Figure 5 - 8 Who are your heroes? Idealization involves thinking of people as perfect, without weaknesses or shortcomings.
Idealization
People may respect someone so much that they believe they are flawless. This is idealisation, an extreme type of identification that serves as a protective mechanism. People who idealise others are able to view them as they wish they were. However, it prevents people from recognising others for who they truly are. This is common in hero worship of movie or music artists, whose true personalities and flaws are disguised under a veil of glitz.
Growing up necessitates idealisation. However, it does imply that you are inflating the other person's positive characteristics. When you don't recognise individuals for who they truly are, you may place unrealistic expectations on them. You may then be dissatisfied when you discover that they have flaws.
DayDreaming
Daydreaming is a common way for people to escape the stress or pain of tough situations. Daydreaming is the fabrication of imaginary experiences that appear to be more pleasant or interesting than reality. It's acting out scenarios in your head that you hope would happen. For example, you could want to get to know someone you don't know very well. If you're bashful and can't act on your wish, you could spend a lot of time fantasising about the friendship. This is an example of using your imagination in this way. shields you from the stress of attempting to form genuine friendships. Your imagination serves as a form of protection.
Daydreaming may be entertaining. They can also provide you with suggestions for attaining your objectives. When they act as a substitute for reality, they become impediments. They then prevent you from taking the steps necessary to make your goals a reality.
Reaction Formation
Have you ever feigned to be cheerful when you were actually depressed? The display of an emotion that is the polar opposite of what you actually feel within is known as reaction formation. This defensive mechanism is used to safeguard people from issues that could arise if they reveal their true sentiments.
Assume Karen is terrified by her remorse for taking the jewellery. She can't bear the thought of having done something wrong. Instead, she brags about the jewellery to a friend, claiming to be pleased with it. Karen employs the technique of reaction creation. For a brief period, reaction formation can shield you from an unpleasant sensation. However, concealing your genuine sentiments in this manner is perplexing to both you and those attempting to comprehend you. You'll have to deal with your actual sentiments afterwards.
Regression
Let's say Mark kicks his broken bicycle because he's unhappy about it. Instead of talking about his frustrations, he retreats to his room and shuts the door. He refuses to join the family for supper. By acting in a childish manner. Mark employs regression. To act in an immature manner is to regress. When people pout or throw tantrums instead of maturely expressing disappointment, they are regressing. They often do this because they feel ignored and want to be noticed.
At times, everyone want to revert to infantile behaviour. However, dealing with disappointment or seeking attention in adult ways is more beneficial. When all, even after the pouting or tantrum is gone, the issue that caused it still has to be dealt with.
Denial
Consider Miguel, who finds the death of his grandfather so difficult to accept that he refuses to believe it. He still talks about his grandfather as if he were still alive, and he expects to see him at a baseball game soon. Miguel is engaging in denial. Denial is defined as an unwillingness to acknowledge reality.
When people act as if something that isn't true is true—or as if something that is real isn't true—they are utilising denial. This defensive system keeps them from having to face an unpleasant reality that they can't accept just yet. When your best friend moves away, you may first feel overwhelmed. You may be adamant about not admitting to yourself how unhappy you are.
Refusing to acknowledge your sadness protects you from a sensation you don't want to experience. It's a protective mechanism. Denial is the first stage of the grieving process, as you studied earlier in this chapter. Denial is a normal part of the mourning process. However, if denial persists or is used to avoid other emotions, it is rarely beneficial. It might make it difficult to accept reality or seek treatment for an issue.
Denial is a normal part of the mourning process. However, if denial persists or is used to avoid other emotions, it is rarely beneficial. It might make it difficult to accept reality or seek treatment for an issue.
Displacement
Displacement is the act of transferring sentiments for one person to another. When someone takes out an emotion like wrath or guilt on an innocent person, they are practising displacement. It typically happens when they are unwilling to confront the individual who has triggered their emotion. As a result, the emotion is directed at someone else.
You are practising displacement if you are furious with your parents but end up yelling at a younger sibling or sister. Displacement might prevent you from resolving the primary problem.
Negativism
Consider how Rachel's anxiety of making a speech prevents her from working on it at all. She ignores her parents' advice, stops preparing her speech, and skips school on the day she was supposed to deliver it. Rachel is displaying her pessimism.
Negativism [NEG uh tih vih zum] is the refusal to do what others recommend or request. It might sometimes require going against the grain of what people anticipate. Negative people are those who are always saying "no." This defensive mechanism is designed to keep you from failing.
Negativism does not produce beneficial results. It simply serves to discourage you from attempting. You will not experience failure if you do not attempt. You also miss out on the chance to perform well and boost your self-esteem.
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Often Constructive Compensation Daydreaming Identification Sublimation |
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Sometimes Constructive Displacement Idealization Projection Rationalization |
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Rarely
Constructive Denial Negativism Reaction formation Regression |
Sublimation
Mark felt compelled to strike someone when he saw his damaged bicycle. Instead, he grabbed his tennis racket and spent some time hitting tennis balls. Mark was sublimating by channelling his enraged energy into exercise. Sublimation (sub luh MAY shun) is the process of replacing an unwanted energy outlet with a desirable one. When people utilise their powerful or furious sentiments for anything other than hurting others, they are sublimating. One of the most effective defensive strategies is sublimation. It redirects potentially harmful energy into a beneficial function.
Evaluating Disease
Defense mechanisms are used by everyone. Some are more accommodating than others. The common defences are divided into three groups in Figure 5-9. In what instances do you get defensive? Which mechanisms do you employ the most frequently? Do you have a habit of practising defences that are rarely helpful? If that's the case, think about how defensive strategies that are sometimes or frequently helpful could be more beneficial to you.
People who are overly reliant on seldom effective protective systems may have a problem. They may want professional assistance in order to discover straightforward ways to deal with their feelings. Most individuals, on the other hand, can utilise defences to their advantage. Knowing what defensive mechanisms are helps you to consider how you employ them.
This entails enduring uncomfortable sensations for a longer period of time until the discomfort subsides on its own.
Review of the Lesson
The majority of defences are best utilised as a temporary solution. Finally, recognising and dealing with your real sentiments is beneficial. Some defence systems can be beneficial, while others are almost always harmful. Self-examination can indicate that you don't require as many protection systems as you assume.
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