Another common defense mechanism is regression. Someone who feels anxious or worried about a situation may unconsciously return to their earlier stage of development, which is not appropriate for their age. In short, regression makes a person act younger than what is expected of their age. This is another common defense mechanism that you may have experienced at least once in your life — displacement.
This defense mechanism involves taking out your frustrations or anger to people or objects around you. You take your anger or frustrations to your partner or child. Never take your anger to the people you love, as this may affect your relationships. Reaction formation is a defense mechanism in which a person recognizes their feelings, chooses to deny them, and acts the opposite way. For example, someone else was promoted to the position you badly want.
You react by exaggeratedly congratulating that person to cover your frustration. You may pretend to be happy for them or clap your hands with exaggerated behavior.
You try to make excuses for your bad behavior and cover up the real reasons behind that action. Rationalization has both a good and bad side.
It can prevent a person from feeling anxious by not overthinking the situation because they justified their actions. In rationalization, when the person experiences success, they credit the achievement to their skills or capabilities.
However, in the face of failure, they try to rationalize the situation and blaming other people or factors that seem out of their control. You rationalize the situation by blaming it on your slow internet connection. But the truth is, you were procrastinating, even though you had plenty of time to finish the project.
Of all the defense mechanisms, sublimation is the most positive strategy. Sigmund Freud called sublimation a sign of maturity. How so? Sublimation is about taking your strong emotions and redirect them to something appropriate, safe, healthy, or socially acceptable ways.
For example, you are stressed at work. Instead of lashing it out to your family, you go to the gym to exercise or to box to channel out your frustrations in a healthy way. For some, they redirect their negative emotions by writing songs, painting, or blogging.
This mindset is helpful, especially when it comes to the workplace. This can help you concentrate well at work and not think about problems at home. Instead, focus on the quantitative facts. The right treatment for a person who routinely uses defense mechanisms depends on the types of mechanisms that they use and whether they have any underlying mental health conditions. Some options include:. This can help a person explore the thoughts and feelings that may be behind a particular defense mechanism.
Therapy may involve one-to-one sessions or group sessions. Some people benefit from lifestyle changes that help them manage their stress levels.
Better stress management can help reduce the need for defense mechanisms. Some helpful techniques include:. A person may require medication for an underlying mental health condition. Depending on the condition, these treatments may include:. Defense mechanisms are a natural part of human psychology.
They help the mind cope with uncomfortable or traumatic situations or emotions. However, some people routinely use defense mechanisms as a way of avoiding their feelings and emotions or excusing their behavior.
If a person is continually relying on unhelpful patterns of thinking, they may wish to seek support from a qualified therapist. With the right treatment, people can reduce their use of defense mechanisms and learn to address their feelings and emotions in a more positive and constructive way. There are five commonly accepted stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Learn about the stages and different types of….
Stress is essential for survival. The chemicals that it triggers help the body prepare to face danger and cope with difficulty. However, long-term…. Psychology is the study of the mind, how it works, and how it might affect behavior. Understand the differences between a psychologist and a….
Neuroticism is a personality trait involving a long-term tendency to be in a negative or anxious emotional state. The term neuroses refers to a range…. PTSD is triggered by a traumatic event. This may be an aggressive incident or conflict situation, or it could result from the loss of a loved one.
Defense mechanisms in psychology: What are they? Medically reviewed by Timothy J. Legg, Ph. Defense mechanisms Related conditions Treatments Defense mechanisms are a way for the mind to cope with stress or difficult feelings. Defense mechanisms. Origins and related conditions.
Treatment options. Exposure to air pollutants may amplify risk for depression in healthy individuals. Sport is another example of putting our emotions e. For example, fixation at the oral stage of development may later lead to seeking oral pleasure as an adult through sucking one's thumb, pen or cigarette. Also, fixation during the anal stage may cause a person to sublimate their desire to handle faeces with an enjoyment of pottery.
Rationalization is a defense mechanism proposed by Anna Freud involving a cognitive distortion of "the facts" to make an event or an impulse less threatening.
We do it often enough on a fairly conscious level when we provide ourselves with excuses. But for many people, with sensitive egos, making excuses comes so easy that they never are truly aware of it. In other words, many of us are quite prepared to believe our lies. When a person finds a situation difficult to accept, they will make up a logical reason why it has happened. For example, a person may explain a natural disaster as 'God's will'.
Reaction formation is a psychological defense mechanism in which a person goes beyond denial and behaves in the opposite way to which he or she thinks or feels. Conscious behaviors are adopted to overcompensate for the anxiety a person feels regarding their socially unacceptable unconscious thoughts or emotions. Usually, a reaction formation is marked by exaggerated behavior, such as showiness and compulsiveness. Therapists often observe reaction formation in patients who claim to strongly believe in something and become angry at everyone who disagrees.
Freud claimed that men who are prejudice against homosexuals are making a defense against their own homosexual feelings by adopting a harsh anti-homosexual attitude which helps convince them of their heterosexuality. Another example of reaction formation includes the dutiful daughter who loves her mother is reacting to her Oedipus hatred of her mother. Identification with the aggressor is a defense mechanism proposed by Sandor Ferenczi and later developed by Anna Freud. It involves the victim adopting the behavior of a person who is more powerful and hostile towards them.
By internalising the behavior of the aggressor the 'victim' hopes to avoid abuse, as the aggressor may begin to feel an emotional connection with the victim which leads to feelings of empathy. An extreme example of this is the Stockholm Syndrome, where hostages establish an emotional bond with their captor s and take on their behaviors. Patty Hearst was abused and raped by her captors, yet she joined their Symbionese Liberation Army and even took part in one of their bank robberies.
At her trial, she was acquitted because she was a victim suffering from Stockholm Syndrome. McLeod, S. Defense mechanisms. Simply Psychology. Ferenczi, S. Confusion of tongues between adults and the child pp.
Freud, A. Freud, S. New introductory lectures on psychoanalysis.
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