Psychology Lecture 6: More Mature Defense Mechanisms PDF

Psychology Lecture: 6 More Mature Defense Mechanisms By Dr. Fatma Elzaher Please Scan there are ongoing interactions between different elements of the mind.  Previous Lecture Defense Mechanisms in psychoanalytic theory, a defense mechanism is an “unconscious psycho...

Psychology Lecture: 6 More Mature Defense Mechanisms By Dr. Fatma Elzaher Please Scan there are ongoing interactions between different elements of the mind.  Previous Lecture Defense Mechanisms in psychoanalytic theory, a defense mechanism is an “unconscious psychological operation that functions to protect a person from anxiety-producing thoughts and feelings related to internal conflicts and outer stressors”.  Previous Lecture Primitive Defense Mechanisms 1. Denial Denial is the refusal to accept reality or fact, acting as if a painful event, thought or feeling did not exist. 2. Regression Regression is the reversion to an earlier stage of development in the face of unacceptable thoughts or impulses. Primitive Defense Mechanisms  3. Dissociation Dissociation is when a person loses track of time and/or person, and instead finds another representation of their self in order to continue in the moment.  4. Compartmentalization Compartmentalization is a lesser form of dissociation, wherein parts of oneself are separated from awareness of other parts and behaving as if one had separate sets of values.  5. Projection Projection is the misattribution of a person’s undesired thoughts, feelings or impulses onto another person who does not have those thoughts, feelings or impulses. Primitive Defense Mechanisms  6. Reaction Formation Reaction Formation is the converting of unwanted or dangerous thoughts, feelings or impulses into their opposites.  7. Acting Out Acting Out is performing an extreme behavior in order to express thoughts or feelings the person feels incapable of otherwise expressing.  Less Primitive, More Mature Defense Mechanisms 8. Repression Repression is the unconscious blocking of unacceptable thoughts, feelings and impulses. The key to repression is that people do it unconsciously, so they often have very little control over it. “Repressed memories” are memories that have been unconsciously blocked from access or view. But because memory is very malleable and ever changing, it is not like playing back a DVD of your life. The DVD has been filtered and even altered by your life experiences, even by what you’ve read or viewed. Less Primitive, More Mature Defense Mechanisms 9. Displacement Displacement is the redirecting of thoughts feelings and impulses directed at one person or object, but taken out upon another person or object. People often use displacement when they cannot express their feelings in a safe manner to the person they are directed at. The classic example is the man who gets angry at his boss, but can’t express his anger to his boss for fear of being fired. He instead comes home and kicks the dog or starts an argument with his wife. The man is redirecting his anger from his boss to his dog or wife. Naturally, this is a pretty ineffective defense mechanism, because while the anger finds a route for expression, it’s misapplication to other harmless people or objects will cause additional problems for most people  Less Primitive, More Mature Defense Mechanisms 10. Intellectualization Intellectualization is the overemphasis on thinking when confronted with an unacceptable impulse, situation or behavior without employing any emotions whatsoever to help mediate and place the thoughts into an emotional, human context. Rather than deal with the painful associated emotions, a person might employ intellectualization to distance themselves from the impulse, event or behavior. For instance, a person who has just been given a terminal medical diagnosis, instead of expressing their sadness and grief, focuses instead on the details of all possible fruitless medical procedures. Less Primitive, More Mature Defense Mechanisms 11. Rationalization Rationalization is putting something into a different light or offering a different explanation for one’s perceptions or behaviors in the face of a changing reality. Less Primitive, More Mature Defense Mechanisms 12. Undoing Undoing is the attempt to take back an unconscious behavior or thought that is unacceptable or hurtful. For instance, after realizing you just insulted your significant other unintentionally, you might spend then next hour praising their beauty, charm and intellect. By “undoing” the previous action, the person is attempting to counteract the damage done by the original comment, hoping the two will balance one another out.  Mature Defense Mechanisms Mature defense mechanisms are often the most constructive and helpful to most adults, but may require practice and effort to put into daily use. While primitive defense mechanisms do little to try and resolve underlying issues or problems, mature defenses are more focused on helping a person be a more constructive component of their environment. People with more mature defenses tend to be more at peace with themselves and those around them. Mature Defense Mechanisms 13. Sublimation Sublimation is simply the channeling of unacceptable impulses, thoughts and emotions into more acceptable ones. For instance, when a person has anger impulses they would like not to act upon, they may instead focus on rigorous exercise. Refocusing such unacceptable or harmful impulses into productive use helps a person channel energy that otherwise would be lost or used in a manner that might cause the person more anxiety.  Mature Defense Mechanisms 14. Compensation Compensation is a process of psychologically counterbalancing perceived weaknesses by emphasizing strength in other arenas. By emphasizing and focusing on one’s strengths, a person is recognizing they cannot be strong at all things and in all areas in their lives. For instance, when a person says, “I may not know how to cook, but I can sure do the dishes!,” they’re trying to compensate for their lack of cooking skills by emphasizing their cleaning skills instead. When done appropriately and not in an attempt to over-compensate, compensation is defense mechanism that helps reinforce a person’s self- esteem and self-image.  Mature Defense Mechanisms 15. Assertiveness Assertiveness is the emphasis of a person’s needs or thoughts in a manner that is respectful, direct and firm. Communication styles exist on a continuum, ranging from passive to aggressive, with assertiveness falling neatly in between. People who are passive and communicate in a passive manner tend to be good listeners, but rarely speak up for themselves or their own needs in a relationship.  Next Lecture will discuss Behaviorism Regards Dr. Fatma Elzaher