"Two forces" are always in man. The first is the desire to quickly solve your psychological problem. Even if one is not realized, the soul still strives for this. The second is resistance to solving this problem, which is often accompanied by painful or unpleasant emotional experiences. In order to get away from these sensations, a person immediately “turns on” the psychological defense mechanisms that protect against pain. The reasons for the latter may be the bitterness of loss, difficult memories, an unpleasant situation taking place, worries about events, expectation of the worst.
What is psychological defense
This is what helps a person not to lose heart in life's tense situations, with minimal losses to survive suffering. In other words, to survive mentally and spiritually.
Today, psychological defense is any unconscious reaction of a person that helps protect his "I".
Cases due to which resistance is manifested:
- severe stress;
- fear of failure;
- grief from loss;
- inability to adapt to the new;
- adult infantilism;
- unwillingness to change social position.
Not only in these cases, but also in many other people, in order to avoid psychological pain, he builds protection. However, this does not solve his problem, he only adapts to it.
Possible consequences:
- A person begins to behave inappropriately in this situation. He becomes strange, specific, communicates worse, limits his lifestyle.
- Then psychosomatic illnesses may appear. Internal anxiety increases.
- Lifestyle becomes “defensive.”
Freud's psychological defense mechanisms
This is a well-known Austrian psychoanalyst and doctor. He was the first to create a theory of protection mechanisms. Other scholars were sympathetic to her. Today, the term “defense mechanism” means a very solid behavioral model designed to shield the “I” from phenomena that give rise to anxiety.
In his first works, Freud described two main ways of dealing with anxiety. The first, he said, is healthier. This is an interaction with phenomena that give rise to anxiety: awareness of motives for behavior, overcoming barriers and others. The second (unreliable, passive) - due to the deformation of reality (unconscious to cope with a sense of anxiety.
Freud believed that all protection mechanisms have common features:
- unconsciousness;
- distortion of reality.
In other words, a person is not aware of the goals, nor the reasons, nor the fact of defensive behavior in relation to a specific phenomenon.
At present, in psychology such concepts as coping strategies with stress and defensive strategies are shared. The former may be unconscious, rational, aimed at the source of experience. The second is unconscious and irrational.
The main mechanisms of psychological defense differ in the following parameters:
- by the degree of conflict processing;
- distortion of reality;
- amount of energy;
- infantility;
- type of mental disorder.
Freud suggested that from the first moments of a person’s life some protective mechanisms already appear. In the future, this has been confirmed by clinical studies and observation of children.
Kinds
The term "psychological defense mechanisms" was first introduced in 1894 by Z. Freud. He distinguished the following species:
- reactive formations;
- crowding out;
- regression;
- suppression;
- projection;
- introjection;
- insulation;
- compensation;
- rationalization;
- sublimation;
- denial of reality.
It should be noted that Freud proposed mechanisms that protect against internal factors. Soon his list was supplemented and directed against external influences of the reaction. Namely:
- avoiding the situation;
- negation;
- identification;
- fantasy;
- conversion;
- moving
- symbolization.
Today, protection mechanisms are simply included in one group according to the main criterion. They are all directed against frustrations that are internal and external. According to this criterion, the mechanisms differ. The former are used to protect against internal frustration, the latter from external.
Below we will consider in detail the basic mechanisms of psychological protection of a person.
Extrusion and Suppression
Considering these mechanisms of psychological protection of personality, it should be noted that they were one of the first identified by researchers. So, the essence of suppression is that the meaning of a negative event and the emotions associated with it are excluded from consciousness. It develops in order to restrain fear, which is blocked by forgetting the real stimulus that caused it and all the facts, circumstances, objects associated with it, and hide from itself the fact of negative experience.
Suppression is related to forgetting. It is easy to distinguish it from amnesia, if it is not caused by protection. For example, a person may not remember previously learned material, but with repeated perception, he will immediately recognize it and will be able to learn it again much faster.
Repression is the process of involuntary unconscious elimination of negative thoughts, feelings, motives. If the action of this mechanism is not enough to reduce the level of anxiety, then others are connected. This helps to perceive the displaced material in a distorted form.
Studying these mechanisms of psychological defense (repression and suppression), many authors distinguish between them. Although in fact the first concept is an arbitrary form of the second.
Regression and Introjection
The mechanism of psychological defense is also regression - this is when a person in a problem situation returns to children's forms of behavior and satisfaction of their needs. It can be symbolic, complete or partial. Developed in order to restrain feelings of fear of failure, uncertainty, guilt.
Regression - a return from the achieved result to the previous one. This is a transition to lighter, structured reactions characteristic of childhood. Regress - go back, go back.
This is a primitive way to deal with anxiety. Healthy, fit people can regress from time to time, which will reduce the feeling of anxiety. They get drunk, smoke, overeat, pick their nose, bite their nails, lose their temper, break laws, chew gum, spoil things, drive a car quickly and risky, fight, kill, daydream, etc. Many regressions are generally accepted and taken as a sign maturity.
Considering the mechanisms of psychological protection of an individual, attention should be paid to introjection - a symbolic inclusion of an object, a person. She plays a crucial role in early personal development. On the basis of introjection, the ideals and values of parents are learned. This mechanism is updated during the loss of a loved one, mourning. With it, you can eliminate the differences between the person and the object of love. Often, instead of aggression, bitterness towards another person, due to introjection, humiliating impulses turn into self-depreciation, self-criticism. This is often observed during depression. After the introjection works, new frustrations and conflicts arise.
Isolation and Compensation
With obsession, neurosis, a mechanism such as isolation is very common. Her methods: the use of rituals, formulas, stopping thinking, interrupting the sequence of actions, thoughts.Isolation eliminates the possibility of contact with the object, acts as a prohibition on touching. This is a special protective process. It begins with obsession and ultimately leads to the development of an internal orientation to breaking the links between action and thought.
Studying the mechanisms of psychological defense, it is worth noting compensation - an unconscious attempt to overcome imaginary or real shortcomings. It develops as the latest mechanism in the formation of mental structures. Used consciously, designed to restrain emotions such as sadness, grief from loss, or fear. It is realized by achieving great results in selected activities, painstaking work on self-improvement. All people want to achieve any status, therefore, compensatory behavior is universal.
It is believed that it is normal if a person finds and fixes their shortcomings, carries out serious methodological work on himself, overcomes difficulties, achieves high results, plays sports, strives for originality, collects, and is prone to memories.
Compensation happens:
- Socially acceptable (for example, a blind person has become a musician).
- Unacceptable - when a stunt becomes aggressive and domineering, and a disabled person becomes rude and conflicting.
- Straight. A person seeks victory in a knowingly losing area.
- Indirect. The desire to establish itself in a different field.
Sublimation and Projection
There are a number of thoughts, motives, feelings that the individual tries to reject from himself and carry them to the face of another. This is a projection - a mechanism of psychological defense. It involves the rejection of others by attributing negative qualities to them. The projection helps to cope with self-acceptance. It manifests itself in everyday life. People are uncritical of their shortcomings and easily notice them from others, blame others for their misfortunes and problems. The harmful side of the projection is that it can lead to an erroneous perception of reality. This protection mechanism works more often in vulnerable, immature individuals.
Normal behavior: pride, selfishness, pride, resentment, grudge, vulnerability, revenge, arrogance, a keen sense of injustice, ambition, jealousy, stubbornness, intransigence, hostility, ambition, search for flaws, pessimism, isolation.
Sublimation, or, in other words, substitution. This is when psychological protection is manifested by switching emotions from one object to another. For example, a person experiencing aggressive feelings for an employer pours out his anger on family members. That is, during the containment of negative emotions, protective mechanisms develop. Psychological protection is achieved by releasing hidden emotions and directing them to less dangerous objects (people, animals) than those that caused aggression.
Features of behavior (normal): irritability, rudeness, impulsiveness, demanding attitude towards others, temper, uncharacteristic guilt, protest against criticism, preference for films where there are scenes of violence, a craving for martial arts, a commitment to risky activities, a tendency to physical work .
Reactive formations and rationalization
Let us consider in more detail these mechanisms of unconscious psychological defense. Rationalization - finding reasons that justify unacceptable feelings, behavior, thoughts, motives. She helps to evade responsibility, guilt. This is the most common mechanism.
Reactive formations are a habit or attitude opposite to repression. For example, exaggeratedly polite behavior hides hostility. This mechanism has a side effect - deformation of relations with the environment.
Norm in behavior: avoidance of public locker rooms, baths, restrooms, denial of indecent jokes, conversations, preoccupation with appearance, courtesy, politeness, high spirits, sociability, disinterestedness.
Denial of reality
Many mechanisms of psychological defense were considered above. However, one cannot neglect such a thing as the denial of reality. This rejection of real needs, the rejection of thoughts about them, feelings, desires. Often used in crisis situations: incurable disease, loss of loved ones.
Features of protection behavior: suggestibility, egocentrism, optimism, a person’s desire to be in the limelight, sociability, friendliness, self-pity, ease, confidence-building, boasting, pathos, confidence, arrogance, courtesy, lack of self-criticism, easy susceptibility of criticism, helpfulness , expressed artistic and artistic abilities, penchant for practical jokes, rich imagination.
Match mechanisms
For the first time, the term “coping” appeared in 1962 in the literature on psychology. She was used by L. Murphy when studying children overcoming a development crisis.
Coincidence mechanisms mean behavioral and intrapsychic human efforts to resolve internal / external problems and conflicts that arise between them.
The very concept of “coping” (overcoming stress) can be considered as a personal activity to preserve and maintain a balance between resources and environmental requirements. Its main task is to develop a strategy that is undertaken by people in case of a threat to their well-being (social, personal, physical).
Coping mechanisms of psychological defense are of three types:
- Cognitive.
- Behavioral.
- Emotional.
An example for the first is the switching of actions and thoughts from pain to something else. For the second - distraction from problems through shopping, leaving with a head to work, caring for other people. For the third - crying, blaming, humility.