Understanding Defense Mechanisms

What are Defense Mechanisms?

Defense Mechanisms are psychological strategies that are unconsciously used to protect a person from anxiety which arises through unacceptable thoughts and feelings.

In other words, they are the brain’s way of keeping us safe from being fully aware of unpleasant thoughts and feeling. Most of the time, these responses are not under the person’s conscious control. Which means it’s not up to you to decide what you do when you do it.

Below, is the list of the 7 most common defense mechanisms:

Displacement:

It is the diversion of emotion (such as anger) from the original source to a substitute target. One directs their strong emotions towards a person or object that wasn’t the source of why it happened.

For example, you had a bad day at work or your friend said you something hurtful and instead of confronting your boss or your friend you project that anger on your family or friends (someone who wasn’t responsible for the reason of your emotion).

Projection:

This is when there’s projection of one’s own feelings or motives on to someone else. This involves the person attributing their own thoughts and emotions which are unacceptable to someone else.

For example, you may dislike the new admission in your class. But instead of accepting that, you will choose to tell yourself that they dislike you.

Rationalization:

This is when you try to explain undesirable behavior with ‘own created facts’ or through false plausible excuses. One does this to allow themselves to feel comfortable with the choice they made even when they know it deep inside that it is wrong.

For example, you might blame the board for giving you all difficult or out of the syllabus questions when you had not prepared yourself well enough for the exam.

Reaction Formation:

This is about putting up a mask/façade. Behaving in a way opposite of how you feel.

For example, a person make like someone but pretends that the dislike them and behaves in such a way that doesn’t let any sign of romantic attraction show.

Regression:

Showing child-like patterns of behavior. It’s lie unconsciously escaping to an early stage of development.

For example, if a young child experiences trauma or loss, they suddenly act as if they are kids again. They may start sucking their thumb or wetting the bed. Sometimes, even an adult might sleep with a stuffed toy, cry over less marks or chew pencils.

Repression

Pushing or burying away the thoughts or distress feelings deep inside your mind, into the subconscious. One chooses to hide them in hope of forgetting them entirely. They choose to hide these in hope that they will forget it entirely but sometimes these memories may influence their behavior.

For example, you see a crime happening and tell yourself that you didn’t see anything.

Denial

If a situation is too much to handle, the person refuses to just experience it. This is one of the most common defense mechanisms. It is when you refuse to accept the reality or facts. Maybe someone’s death or illness. One blocks the external events from the mind in order to avoid dealing with the internal emotional impact.

For example, someone may not accept they are addicted to smoking/drinking or when they lose someone from their lives.

These defense mechanisms like said are very common; happen subconsciously and somewhere we have experienced it.

Nimisha Vora Member since June 14, 2020

Heyy you! This is Nimisha, a girl who loves adventures and would never pass a chance to travel. I believe that each one of us has a story which is worth living and no matter what, there's always a you for yourself.

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