Defense Mechanisms
John D. McKellar, PhD Bay Area Pain and Wellness Center Private Practice SF Bay Area
Freud’s Greatest Idea Freud’s ideas were revolutionary, particularly the general notion that people are less than logical Many of Freud’s ideas, particularly about sexual development and parenting were misguided/incorrect Defense mechanisms are one of his most influential ideas Current thinking is that defense mechanisms work to protect the ego (self –esteem)
Denial 1. Involves denying the existence of feelings, perceptions of self, or perceptions of others 2. Likely the most commonly used defense mechanism 3. Considered by the general public to be an essential component of addiction but actually operates in all mental health conditions 4. It is the opposite of acceptance
Projection
1. Seeing unwanted traits, thoughts, desires related to oneself in another person 2. It is easier to see our faults in others 3. Often our level of displeasure/upset with others is often related to how unacceptable it is to ourself 4. Accepting the self helps us to tolerate others
Reaction Formation
1. Behaving in a manner that is opposite to one’s wishes or impulses (particularly when one’s impulses or wishes are seen as unacceptable 2. This one is most often seen in the association with sex. Think of self-righteous politicians or religious figures (individuals who preach/proclaim need for morality but are caught in sexual affairs)
Intellectualization
1. Intellectualization is the overemphasis on thinking when confronted with an unacceptable impulse, situation or behavior (to avoid thinking) 2. Rather than deal with the painful associated emotions, a person might employ intellectualization to distance themselves 3. For example, a man talking about how the ending of a romantic relationship makes sense from an evolutionary/survival of the fittest perspective..
Repression
1. The blocking of unacceptable thoughts, feelings and impulses 2. The historical focus has been on “blocking� such content from awareness- e.g., repressed memories 3. More recent ideas about this suggest is that the efforts to avoid thinking are conscious early on but become habitual over time
Downward Social Comparison 1. Individuals will look to another individual or comparison group who are considered to be worse off in order to distance themselves from perceived similarities and to make themselves feel better about themselves or their personal situation 2. Not just about being happy to not be in someone else’s bad situation (at least I am not homeless) but more about seeing oneself as essentially different 3. This view more or less blocks development of empathy
Rationalization 1. Convincing oneself that no wrong has been done and that all is or was all right through faulty and false reasoning (creating excuses) 2. This is usually employed when we have acted in a manner that violates our own code of conduct, such as when we yell or lose composure and then conclude “well they drove me toward this and gave me no choice…” 3. In removing our responsibility from our behavior this becomes an obstacle to growth. This inhibits us from seeing our role in a situation and learning
Dissociation 1.
Separation or postponement of a feeling/sensation that normally would accompany a situation or thought
2.
This can be thought of as a variant of distraction. Rather than distracting the mind this involves distancing the body- not feeling the physical symptoms of distress or anxiety
3.
The potential complication of using this mechanism is that the individual fails to learn that they can in fact tolerate distress (little learning occurs during dissociation)
Final Thoughts 1.
Take this knowledge with you but be careful in sharing it with others
2.
Sometimes it is difficult to resist the temptation to verbalize a newly learned label (e.g., rationalization) when we see it in others
3.
Use this knowledge as a tool for self change and a tool for understanding the behavior of others