The psychoanalytic term for defense mechanisms was first used byFreudIt refers to the method that the ego controls the terrible things out of consciousness to reduce or avoid anxiety;The psychological mechanism used by individuals to avoid interference and maintain psychological balance when their minds are disturbed.It is often used unconsciously, mainly in the following ways: repression, sublimation, substitution, rejection, reverse formation, intellectualization, projection.
Self defense mechanism is used by oneself to cope withIdandsuperegoMeans of pressure.When the ego is threatened by the id and superego and causes a strong sense of anxiety and guilt, anxiety will unconsciously activate a series of defense mechanisms, protect the ego in a way that distorts reality, and ease or eliminate anxiety and pain.
As for the self defense mechanismSigmund FreudProposed by his daughterAnna Freud It is studied systematically.In her book Self and Defense Mechanism, she emphasized that "everyone, whether normal or neurotic, uses one or several characteristic components of all defense mechanisms to varying degrees in some behavior or speech."
As long as these defense mechanisms can be used to maintain balance without showing maladaptive behavior, it cannot be regarded as pathological.Only when the defense mechanism is inappropriately applied at an inappropriate time, can it be called a morbid state when it is incompatible with his life in terms of his own inner peace or communication with others.If a person makes a rigid, indiscriminate and formulaic defense response to any conscious or unconscious unpleasant feelings, he can be considered as suffering fromNeurosis。
basic feature
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The defense mechanism has the following characteristics:
(1) Defense mechanisms are not intended to be used; they are unconscious or at least partially unconscious.Although we often make conscious efforts, the real defense mechanism is unconscious.
(2) The defense mechanism is to protect oneself and protect oneself from harm by supporting self-esteem or by beautifying oneself (increasing value).From the perspective of its role and nature, it can be divided into two types: active defense mechanism and passive defense mechanism.
(3) The defense mechanism seems to have the nature of self deception, that is, to cover up or disguise our real motivation, or deny the existence of impulses, actions or memories that may cause anxiety.Therefore,Self defense mechanismIt is to defend oneself from anxiety by distorting perception, memory, action, motivation and thinking, or completely blocking a certain psychological process.In fact, it is also a psychological self-protection law.
(4) The defense mechanisms themselves are not pathological, on the contrary, they play an important role in maintaining normal mental health.But the result of the change of normal defense function can cause psychopathological state.
(5) The defense mechanism can be expressed singly or overlap.For example, a worker was criticized by the team leader in the workshop, and said, "I don't care!" Then he fell and beat up intentionally or unintentionally in the work, making waste products to eliminate anger, which is the dual role of rationalization and anger.
Main methods
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Repression
FreudWe call depression "the cornerstone of the results of the whole psychoanalytic theory".Obviously, it is the most important defense mechanism.
Repression is a kind of positive effort. Through this effort, the ego excludes those things that threaten itself from consciousness, or makes them inaccessible to consciousness.According to Freud, everyone should use repression.Because all of us have unconscious thoughts that we are unwilling to bring into consciousness.Repression seems to be effective, but it is not without cost.Because repression is a stable and active process, it requires self sustained energy consumption.Depressing a large number of strong thoughts and impulses makes the ego have no surplus energy to operate.Without a strong superego, a battle to maintain a stable personality will fail.
Example:
One night, a boy saw his father beating his mother.When asked about the experience afterwards, the boy insisted that he had never seen such a thing before.Maybe he didn't lie.On the contrary, perhaps because that scene was so horrible that he could not accept it, he suppressed the experience outside his consciousness.
Sublimation
Sublimation is the only truly successful defense mechanism.Unlike depression, the more sublimation is used, the more productive the ego is.
Sublimation is a channel that can transform unconscious impulse into social acceptance behavior.If you direct the impulse of aggressive id to the person you want to attack, you will be in trouble.But it is acceptable to sublimate these impulses into activities such as fighting sports and antagonistic sports.Because in our society, aggressive athletes are regarded as heroes and rewarded for their actions.Sublimation is very productive, because in sublimation activities, the id can express its aggressiveness. The ego does not need to exhaust energy to block these impulses, and athletes are loved because of aggressive activities.
Replacement
Like sublimation, substitution leads impulses into a non threatening target.
1 case:
When a woman is abused, she will be very angry unconsciously.If venting her anger to the corresponding target is not accepted or will lead to terrible consequences, she will point these emotions to other people around her, such as colleagues, children, parents.Although doing so may lead to other problems, erupting anger at people who are less threatening can prevent unconscious thoughts from turning into conscious venting.
Freud believed that many unreasonable fears or fears were only symbolic substitutes.
2 cases:
The son of a Freudian patient was afraid of horses.He speculated that the child used fear of horses instead of fear of his father.
Denial
When using rejection, we mean refusing to accept the existence of certain facts.Unlike repression, rejection is not to say that you don't remember, but to insist that something is not true, even though all the evidence shows that it is true.
Example:
A widower who loved his wife deeply still acted as if she were alive long after her death.He reserved a table for her at the dinner table and told friends that she had gone to relatives.For the widower, this kind of pretence is more acceptable to him than a sober admission that his wife has died.
Obviously, rejection is an extreme form of defense.The more rejection, the less contact with reality, and the more difficult the operation of psychological function.But in many cases, the ego would rather rely on rejection than let some ideas enter consciousness.
Reaction formation
When using generative response, we will act in the opposite way to unconscious desire to avoid terrible thoughts or desires.
Example:
A woman always tells others how much she loves her mother. In fact, she hides her strong hatred for her mother unconsciously.
Intellectualization
A method of self-control over terrible things, which wipes out these emotional contents before they enter the consciousness level.Examine your thoughts in a strict intellectual rather than emotional way.But bringing some thoughts into consciousness, or keeping them in consciousness, does not cause any anxiety.
Example:
A woman imagined that her husband had had a terrible car accident. She repeatedly considered the importance of wearing a seat belt without any emotion.
Freudian doctors might have guessed that the woman unconsciously harbored some hatred for her husband.
Projection
Sometimes we attribute an unconscious impulse to others rather than to ourselves.This defense mechanism is called projection.By projecting an impulse on another person, we can get rid of the idea that we hold this idea ourselves.
Example:
We refuse to admit that we have abnormal sexual desire, but think that others have.A person who claims that the world is full of suspicion and deception unconsciously admits that he is a liar who suspects others.[1]
