Anxiety and Defence Mechanisms

What Defense Mechanisms Are and Why We Use Them
1. Techniques triggered by anxiety
  1. Employed by Ego
    1. Inner mechanism that better protects the Ego
  2. Cause a change in perception which allows anxiety to lessen
    1. They tend to distort, transform or falsify reality
2. When we experience anxiety
  1. When the impulsive Id is too insistent
  2. When the moral Superego is too overwhelming
    1. To keep the impulses and feelings out of conscious and under control
3. Learned behaviour
  1. Often appear unconsciously
4. Help regulate process through life
  1. Helps us get through Anger, Frustration, Sadness and Hurt
Types of Defence Mechanisms
1. Primitive (More Childlike)
  1. Denial
    1. The refusal to accept reality or admit and obvious truth
      1. E.g. People who are suffering from a substance abuse problem will often flat-out deny that their behavior is problematic
  2. ((More effective in short term, harmful for long term))
  3. Regression
    1. The abandonment of coping strategies and reversion to patterns of behavior used earlier in development
      1. E.g. Crying or sulking upon hearing unpleasant news
  4. Projection
    1. The tranfer of your own unacceptable feelings or desires on to someone who does not have those feelings or desires
      1. E.g. If you have a strong dislike for someone, you might instead believe that he or she does not like you
  5. Repression
    1. The pushing of painful memories out of the conscious mind and into the unconscious
      1. E.g A person who has repressed memories of abuse suffered as a child may later have difficulty forming relationships
2. Mature (More Developed)
  1. ((More effective in long term, better for development))
  2. Displacement
    1. The diversion of thoughts/feelings/impulses at a substitute person or object that is less threatening
      1. Slamming a door instead of hitting your boss
  3. Rationalisation
    1. The explaining of an unacceptable behaviour or feeling in a rational or logical manner, avoiding the true reasons for the behaviour
      1. E.g. A student might blame a poor exam score on the instructor rather than his or her lack of preparation
  4. Sublimation
    1. The channeling out of unacceptable and potentially distruptive impulses in a socially acceptable way
      1. E.g. A person experiencing extreme anger might take up kick-boxing as a means of venting frustration
Anxiety
1. Anxiety is an unpleasant inner state that people seek to avoid
  1. It acts as a signal to the Ego that things are not going right
Results of Overuse and/or Underutilization
1. Emotional problems arise
  1. More likely to experience stress
  2. More likely to experience mental health problems
2. They should be worked around or with as appropriate
3. Should be learnt how to handle; if not, seek professional help

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Anxiety and Defence Mechanisms

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	Created by Beth Foster over 10 years ago