Psychological defense mechanisms

Many psychological defense mechanisms have been described. Let us briefly describe the main ones:

1. Repression. It is the process of involuntary removal into the unconscious of unacceptable thoughts, urges or feelings. Freud described in detail the defense mechanism of motivated forgetting. It plays a significant role in the formation of symptoms. When the effect of this mechanism to reduce anxiety is insufficient, other protective mechanisms are activated, allowing the repressed material to be realized in a distorted form. Two combinations of defense mechanisms are most widely known: a) repression + displacement. This combination contributes to the occurrence of phobic reactions. For example, the mother's obsessive fear that her little daughter will fall ill with a serious illness is a defense against hostility to the child, combining the mechanisms of repression and displacement; b) repression + conversion (somatic symbolization). This combination forms the basis of hysterical reactions.

2. Regression. Through this mechanism, an unconscious descent to an earlier level of adaptation is carried out, which allows satisfying desires. Regression can be partial, complete or symbolic. Most emotional problems have regressive features. Normally, regression manifests itself in games, in reactions to unpleasant events (for example, at the birth of a second child, the first-born baby stops using the toilet, starts asking for a pacifier, etc.), in situations of increased responsibility, in diseases (sick requires more attention and care). In pathological forms, regression is manifested in mental illness, especially in schizophrenia.

3. Projection. This is a mechanism for referring to another person or object of thoughts, feelings, motives and desires that the individual rejects on a conscious level. Fuzzy forms of projection appear in everyday life. Many of us are completely uncritical about our shortcomings and easily notice them only in others. We tend to blame others for our own problems. Projection can also be harmful because it leads to an erroneous interpretation of reality. This mechanism often works in immature and vulnerable individuals. In pathological cases, the projection leads to hallucinations and delusions, when the ability to distinguish fantasy from reality is lost.

4. Introjection. It is the symbolic internalization (inclusion in oneself) of a person or object. The action of the mechanism is opposite to the projection. Introjection plays a very important role in the early development of the personality, since on its basis parental values ​​and ideals are assimilated. The mechanism is updated during mourning, with the loss of a loved one. With the help of introjection, the differences between the objects of love and one's own personality are eliminated. Sometimes, instead of anger or aggression towards other people, derogatory urges turn into self-criticism, self-depreciation, because the accused has been introjected.

This is common in depression.

5. Rationalization. It is a defense mechanism that justifies thoughts, feelings, behaviors that are actually unacceptable. Rationalization is the most common psychological defense mechanism, because our behavior is determined by many factors, and when we explain it with the most acceptable motives for ourselves, we rationalize. The unconscious mechanism of rationalization should not be confused with deliberate lies, deceit or pretense. Rationalization helps to maintain self-respect, avoid responsibility and guilt. Every rationalization has at least a minimal amount of truth, but it contains more self-deception, which is why it is dangerous.

6. Intellectualization. This defense mechanism involves an exaggerated use of intellectual resources in order to eliminate emotional experiences and feelings. Intellectualization is closely related to rationalization and replaces the experience of feelings by thinking about them (for example, instead of real love, talking about love).

7. Compensation. It is an unconscious attempt to overcome real and imagined shortcomings. Compensatory behavior is universal, since the achievement of status is an important need for almost all people. Compensation can be socially acceptable (a blind person becomes a famous musician) and unacceptable (compensation for short stature - by the desire for power and aggressiveness; compensation for disability - by rudeness and conflict). They also distinguish direct compensation (the desire to succeed in a deliberately losing area) and indirect compensation (the desire to establish oneself in another area).

8. Jet formation. This defense mechanism replaces urges that are unacceptable for awareness with hypertrophied, opposite tendencies. The protection is two-stage. First, the unacceptable desire is repressed, and then its antithesis is strengthened. For example, exaggerated protectiveness may mask feelings of rejection, exaggerated sugary and polite behavior may mask hostility, and so on.

9. Denial. It is a mechanism for rejecting thoughts, feelings, desires, needs, or reality that are unacceptable on a conscious level. Behavior is as if the problem does not exist. The primitive mechanism of denial is more characteristic of children (if you hide your head under a blanket, then reality will cease to exist). Adults often use denial in cases of crisis situations (terminal illness, approaching death, loss of a loved one, etc.).

10. Offset. It is a mechanism for channeling emotions from one object to a more acceptable substitute. For example, the shift of aggressive feelings from the employer to family members or other objects. The displacement manifests itself in phobic reactions, when anxiety from a conflict hidden in the unconscious is transferred to an external object.

Psychological protection works on an unconscious or subconscious level, and often a person cannot control his defense mechanisms of the psyche if he knows nothing about them. (Lifestyle index - test)

Psychological protection and the destructive action of the protective mechanisms of the human psyche

The human psyche has the ability to protect itself from adverse influences, whether external or internal factors. Psychological defense mechanisms work in one way or another for everyone. They perform the function of a guardian of our mental health, our "I" from the effects of stress, failure, increased anxiety; from unpleasant, destructive thoughts, from external and internal conflicts that cause negative well-being.
(overcoming psychological defense)

In addition to the protective function psychological protection of a person can also have a destructive effect on the personality, it can prevent the personality from growing and developing, achieving success in life.

This occurs when the repetition of a certain defense mechanism of the psyche in similar life situations, but some situations, although similar to the one that initially caused protection, still do not need it, because. a person is able to consciously solve this problem.

Also, psychological defense becomes destructive for the individual in cases where a person uses several defenses at once.

A person who often uses defense mechanisms (let me remind you: this happens unconsciously) is doomed to the status of a “loser” in his life.

Psychological defenses of the individual not congenital, they are acquired during the socialization of the child, and the main source of development of certain defenses, as well as their use in life (for their intended purpose or destructive) are parents or persons replacing them. In short, the use of psychological defense by children depends on how and what kind of defense the parents use.

Psychological defenses have the closest connection with character accentuations, and the more pronounced the accentuation is, the more pronounced the protective mechanisms of the human psyche are.

Knowing the accentuation of character, their individual-personal psycho-physiological characteristics (personality theory), a person will be able to learn how to manage their psychological defenses and accentuations of character, (Program of psycho-correction of character) to achieve success in life, i.e. go from losers to winners. (Personality Theory 2)

Mechanisms of psychological defense of a person

The first to introduce the concept of "psychological defense" was Sigmund Freud, this is "repression" and "sublimation".

These are such protective mechanisms of the psyche as: Repression, suppression, sublimation, intellectualization, rationalization, denial, projection, substitution, identification with the aggressor, regression, compensation and hypercompensation, reactive formation, reverse feeling and their components.

MECHANISMS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL PROTECTION AND INDIVIDUAL-PERSONAL FEATURES:

PSYCHOLOGICAL PROTECTION - NEGATION - the earliest ontogenetically and the most primitive defense mechanism. Denial develops in order to contain the emotion of acceptance of others if they demonstrate emotional indifference or rejection.

This, in turn, can lead to self-loathing. Denial implies an infantile substitution of acceptance by others for attention on their part, and any negative aspects of this attention are blocked at the stage of perception, and positive ones are allowed into the system. As a result, the individual gets the opportunity to painlessly express feelings of acceptance of the world and himself, but for this he must constantly attract the attention of others in ways available to him.

Features of protective behavior in the norm: egocentrism, suggestibility and self-hypnosis, sociability, desire to be in the center of attention, optimism, ease, friendliness, ability to inspire confidence, confident demeanor, thirst for recognition, arrogance, boasting, self-pity, courtesy, willingness to serve, affective demeanor, pathos, easy tolerance of criticism and lack of self-criticism.

Other features include pronounced artistic and artistic abilities, a rich imagination, a penchant for practical jokes.

Preferred jobs in the arts and service industries.

Possible deviations (deviations) of behavior: deceit, a tendency to simulate, thoughtlessness of actions, underdevelopment of the ethical complex, a tendency to fraud, exhibitionism, demonstrative attempts at suicide and self-harm.

Diagnostic concept: hysteria.

Possible psychosomatic diseases (according to F. Alexander): conversion-hysterical reactions, paralysis, hyperkinesia, dysfunction of analyzers, endocrine disorders.

Type of group role (according to G. Kellerman): "the role of a romantic."

THE MECHANISM OF PSYCHOLOGICAL PROTECTION _ SUPPRESSION - develops to contain the emotion of fear, the manifestations of which are unacceptable for positive self-perception and threaten to fall into direct dependence on the aggressor. Fear is blocked by forgetting the real stimulus, as well as all objects, facts and circumstances associated with it.

The suppression cluster includes mechanisms close to it: ISOLATION AND INTROJECTION. Isolation is subdivided by some authors into DISTANCE, DEREALIZATION and DEPERSANOLIZATION, which can be expressed by the formulas: “it was somewhere far and long ago, as if not in reality, as if not with me”.

In other sources, the same terms are used to refer to pathological disorders of perception.

Features of protective behavior are normal: careful avoidance of situations that can become problematic and cause fear (for example, flying on an airplane, public speaking, etc.), inability to defend one's position in a dispute, conciliation, humility, timidity, forgetfulness, fear of new dating, pronounced tendencies to avoid and submit are rationalized, and anxiety is overcompensated in the form of unnaturally calm, slow behavior, deliberate equanimity, etc.

Character accentuation: anxiety (according to K. Leonhard), conformity (according to P.B. Gannushkin).

Possible behavioral deviations: hypochondria, irrational conformism, sometimes extreme conservatism.

Possible psychosomatic diseases (according to E. Bern): fainting, heartburn, loss of appetite, duodenal ulcer.

Diagnostic concept: passive diagnosis (according to R. Plutchik).

Type of group role: "the role of the innocent."

a defense mechanism - REGRESSION - develops in early childhood to contain feelings of self-doubt and fear of failure associated with taking the initiative. Regression implies a return in an exclusive situation to more ontogenetically immature patterns of behavior and satisfaction.

Regressive behavior, as a rule, is encouraged by adults who have an attitude towards emotional symbiosis and infantilization of the child.

The regression cluster also includes the MOTOR ACTIVITY mechanism, which involves involuntary irrelevant actions to relieve stress.

Features of defensive behavior are normal: weakness of character, lack of deep interests, susceptibility to the influence of others, suggestibility, inability to complete the work begun, slight mood swings, tearfulness, increased drowsiness and immoderate appetite in an exclusive situation, manipulation of small objects, involuntary actions (rubbing hands, twisting buttons, etc.), specific “childish” facial expressions and speech, a tendency to mysticism and superstition, heightened nostalgia, intolerance to loneliness, the need for stimulation, control, encouragement, consolation, the search for new experiences, the ability to easily establish superficial contacts, impulsiveness .

Accentuation of character (according to P.B. Gannushkin): instability.

Possible behavioral deviations: infantilism, parasitism, conformism in antisocial groups, alcohol and drug use.

Diagnostic concept: unstable psychopathy.

Possible psychosomatic illnesses: No data available.

Group role type:"the role of the child".

The defense mechanism of the psyche - COMPENSATION- ontogenetically the latest and cognitively complex protective mechanism, which is developed and used, as a rule, consciously. Designed to contain feelings of sadness, grief over a real or imaginary loss, loss, lack, lack, inferiority.

Compensation involves an attempt to correct or find a substitute for this inferiority.

The compensation cluster includes the following mechanisms: OVERCOMPENSATION, IDENTIFICATION, and FANTASY, which can be understood as compensation at the ideal level.

Features of protective behavior in the norm: behavior caused by the installation of serious and methodical work on oneself, finding and correcting one's shortcomings, overcoming difficulties, achieving high results in activities, serious sports, collecting, striving for originality, a penchant for memories, literary creativity.

Accentuation of character: distimism.

Possible deviations: aggressiveness, drug addiction, alcoholism, sexual deviations, promiscuity, kleptomania, vagrancy, insolence, arrogance, ambition.

Diagnostic concept: depression.

Possible psychosomatic diseases: anorexia nervosa, sleep disturbance, headaches, atherosclerosis.

Type of group role: "role of unifying".

Psychological protection - PROJECTION- develops relatively early in ontogenesis to contain the feeling of rejection of oneself and others as a result of emotional rejection on their part. The projection involves attributing various negative qualities to others as a rational basis for their rejection and self-acceptance against this background.

Features of protective behavior are normal: pride, pride, selfishness, vindictiveness, vindictiveness, resentment, vulnerability, a heightened sense of injustice, arrogance, ambition, suspicion, jealousy, hostility, stubbornness, intractability, intolerance to objections, a tendency to incriminate others, the search for shortcomings, isolation, pessimism, hypersensitivity to criticism and comments, exactingness to oneself and others, the desire to achieve high performance in any kind of activity.

Possible deviations of behavior: behavior determined by overvalued or delusional ideas of jealousy, injustice, persecution, invention, own inferiority or grandiosity. On this basis, manifestations of hostility are possible, reaching the point of violent acts and murders. Less common are the sadistic-masochistic complex and the hypochondriacal symptom complex, the latter on the basis of distrust of medicine and doctors.

Diagnostic concept: paranoia.

Possible psychosomatic diseases: hypertension, arthritis, migraine, diabetes, hyperthyroidism.

Group role type: reviewer role.

mental protection - SUBSTITUTION- develops to contain the emotion of anger at a stronger, older or more significant subject acting as a frustrator, in order to avoid retaliatory aggression or rejection. The individual relieves tension by turning anger and aggression on a weaker animate or inanimate object or on himself.

Therefore, substitution has both active and passive forms and can be used by individuals regardless of their type of conflict response and social adaptation.

Features of protective behavior are normal: impulsiveness, irritability, exactingness towards others, rudeness, irascibility, protest reactions in response to criticism, uncharacteristic feelings of guilt, passion for “combat” sports (boxing, wrestling, hockey, etc.), preference for movies with scenes of violence (action movies, horror films, etc.), commitment to any activity associated with risk, a pronounced tendency to dominance is sometimes combined with sentimentality, a tendency to engage in physical labor.

Possible behavioral deviations: aggressiveness, uncontrollability, a tendency to destructive and violent actions, cruelty, immorality, vagrancy, promiscuity, prostitution, often chronic alcoholism, self-harm and suicide.

Diagnostic concept: epileptoidness (according to P.B. Gannushkin), excitable psychopathy (according to N.M. Zharikov), aggressive diagnosis (according to R. Plutchik).

Possible psychosomatic diseases: hypertension, arthritis, migraine, diabetes, hyperthyroidism, gastric ulcer (according to E. Bern).

Type of group role: "the role of the looking for a scapegoat."

Psychological defense mechanism - INTELLECTUALIZATION- develops in early adolescence to contain the emotion of expectation or anticipation for fear of experiencing disappointment. The formation of this mechanism is usually correlated with frustrations associated with failures in competition with peers.

It involves arbitrary schematization and interpretation of events to develop a sense of subjective control over any situation. This cluster includes the following mechanisms: CANCELLATION, SUBLIMATION and RATIONALIZATION.

The latter is subdivided into actual rationalization, anticipating, for oneself and for others, post-hypnotic and projective, and has the following methods: discrediting the goal, discrediting the victim, exaggerating the role of circumstances, asserting harm for good, overestimating what is available and self-discrediting.

Features of protective behavior are normal: diligence, responsibility, conscientiousness, self-control, a tendency to analysis and introspection, thoroughness, awareness of obligations, love of order, uncharacteristic bad habits, foresight, discipline, individualism.

Accentuation of character: psychasthenia (according to P.B. Gannushkin), pedantic character.

Possible deviations of behavior: inability to make a decision, substitution of activity for "reasoning", self-deception and self-justification, pronounced detachment, cynicism, behavior caused by various phobias, ritual and other obsessive actions.

Diagnostic concept: obsession.

Possible psychosomatic diseases: pain in the heart, vegetative disorders, spasms of the esophagus, polyuria, sexual disorders.

Type of group role: "the role of the philosophizer".

REACTIVE EDUCATION - a protective mechanism of the psyche, the development of which is associated with the final assimilation of "higher social values" by the individual.

Reaction formation develops to contain the joy of owning a certain object (for example, one's own body) and the possibility of using it in a certain way (for example, for sex and aggression).

The mechanism involves the development and emphasizing in the behavior of the opposite attitude.

Features of protective behavior are normal: rejection of everything related to the functioning of the body and gender relations is expressed in various forms and with varying intensity, avoidance of public baths, latrines, changing rooms, etc., a sharp negative attitude towards "indecent" conversations, jokes, films of an erotic nature (also with scenes of violence), erotic literature, strong feelings about violations of "personal space", accidental contact with other people (for example, in public transport), an emphasized desire to comply with generally accepted standards of behavior, relevance, concern for "decent" appearance, courtesy, courtesy, respectability, disinterestedness, sociability, as a rule, high spirits.

Of the other features: the condemnation of flirting and exhibitionism, abstinence, sometimes vegetarianism, moralizing, the desire to be an example for others.

Character accentuations: sensitivity, exaltation.

Possible behavioral deviations: pronounced inflated self-esteem, hypocrisy, hypocrisy, extreme puritanism.

Diagnostic concept: manic.

Possible psychosomatic diseases (according to F. Alexander): bronchial asthma, peptic ulcer, ulcerative colitis.

This completes the description of the defense mechanisms of the human psyche.

I wish you all mental health!

Free consultation with a psychoanalyst.

Frequently Asked Questions to a Psychologist

In the life of an individual, internal and external conflicts occur, generated by contradictions between the subjective perception of the world and its objective picture, as well as between the real and the desired image of the Self.

Certain mental processes work to eliminate or minimize negative experiences caused by psychological conflicts. Such regulatory systems of the psyche are called defense mechanisms, and their totality is called the psychological defense of the individual.

Psychological protection is triggered when there is a real or potential threat:

• personal integrity,
• her identity,
• self-esteem,
• image of "I"
• stability of the subjective picture of the world.

Psychological protection is designed to protect a person from anxiety, anxiety, fear. This system of mechanisms helps a person to survive in society, successfully adapt.

The essence of psychological protection is as follows:

1. elimination of the source of conflict experiences from the sphere of consciousness,
2. its transformation, in order to prevent conflict in the psyche,
3. reducing the severity of experiences through specific behavior.

At the same time, psychological protection does not give the individual the opportunity to take active steps to eliminate the source of experiences. Protecting against excessive inconsistency, smoothing out contradictions, reducing tension, lowering the significance of the situation, psychological protection only hides or transforms the conflict in the person's perception.

There are situations that require the elimination of their causes and sources. In these cases, psychological defense mechanisms work more to the detriment than to the benefit of the individual.

The main mechanisms of psychological defense

The founder of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud, began to study the mechanisms of psychological defense. He defined them as a way to resolve the conflict between the Id (Unconscious, instincts) and Super-Ego (Super-I, moral attitudes).

In modern science and practice of psychology, more than twenty types of psychological defense mechanisms are distinguished, and seven of the most common of them will be described below.

crowding out

This is the most universal mechanism, which consists in eliminating conflicting experiences, drives, motives, information, and memories from the human mind. They are pushed into the realm of the unconscious. The psyche "hides" an unacceptable phenomenon from consciousness, replacing it with a socially acceptable one. A person cannot remember the repressed negative events, while they are still stored in the depths of his memory, not giving in to awareness.

Inversion or reactive formation

This paradoxical mechanism forces a person to replace unacceptable emotions and manifestations with diametrically opposite ones. For example, experiencing hatred, but not wanting to show it, a person can be emphatically polite, kind, caring, roughly speaking, hatred is replaced by love.

Regression

Return to simpler forms of thinking and behavior. The psyche "falls into childhood", a person begins to think and behave like a child, trying to simplify a too difficult life situation.

Identification

Initially, this is a way for the child to assimilate social norms by copying the behavior of significant adults. This is how children learn, adapt to their social environment, adopt ideals and patterns of behavior. As a psychological defense mechanism, identification is an unconscious copying of the desired personality traits, thereby covering up their absence and a sense of inferiority.

Rationalization

The ability of a person to explain rationally unacceptable for himself or for society, irrational drives and instincts. When such a mechanism comes into force, the significance of forbidden desires is reduced, overestimated, a person convinces himself that he does not really need an object of desire, and “calms down” unconscious impulses with reasoning.

Sublimation

This is a specific psychological defense mechanism designed to transform a specific type of energy - sexual desire - into a social activity of the individual. Very often, sexual energy that has not found a way out or is excessive gives strength for creativity, sports, active study and work.

Projection

An easy-to-understand psychological defense mechanism. It works when a person unconsciously attributes rejected and unacceptable qualities and patterns of behavior to other people.

When psychological defense mechanisms turn out to be ineffective, a person needs to either change the conflict situation (up to its complete elimination), or change himself, transform, adapt, change his worldview in such a way that the problem situation ceases to be such.

In this regard, it is difficult to consider M.P.Z. isolated from other mental processes, it is difficult to classify them according to clear criteria. Implementation mechanism and reason for M.P.Z. cannot be considered separately from the difference in general and from the model of the psyche, since the defense mechanisms are clearly tied to this model and are one of its necessary components.

Main types of M.P.Z.:

Suppression (displacement);

Negation;

Compensation (hypercompensation);

Regression (infantilization);

Jet formations;

Projection;

substitution;

Rationalization.

In the history of the study of M.P.Z. there are more than two dozen of them.

Defense mechanisms lie on the border of the conscious world and the unconscious and are a kind of filter between them. The role of this filter is diverse - from protection from negative emotions, feelings, and unacceptable information associated with them, to deeply pathological (the formation of various types of neuroses and neurotic reactions).

M.P.Z. also participate in the processes of resistance to psychotherapeutic changes. One of their important functions is to maintain the homeostasis of the personality, psyche and protect it from sudden changes. If M.P.Z. there would not have been a variety of characters, personalities, accentuations, psychopathy, since a person could easily assimilate new information every time it comes to him, and constantly change; several such changes could occur in one day. It is clear that in such conditions it is impossible to form relationships between people - friendly, family, partnership, with the exception, perhaps, professional (and then only where professional skills are required without the participation of the individual, and there are very few such professions).

First of all, thanks to M.P.Z. we cannot quickly change for good or for bad. If a person has changed dramatically, then he either went crazy (a mental illness, but it will be obvious to a non-professional what happened there), or the changes accumulated for a long time inside the personality model and at one fine moment just appeared.

The system of the psyche (our model of the world) protects itself from changes - not only from negative emotions, feelings and unpleasant information, but also from any other information that is unacceptable to the human belief system.

Example. Deeply religious or magical thinking will automatically resist a scientific approach, and vice versa - scientific thinking will resist a deep religious or magical perception (however, there are always exceptions).

Therefore, it is possible to change only by changing the entire model of the world along with the M.P.Z., which can be found at home, analyzed and redirected their influence in a favorable direction.

To do this, it is worth considering the main types of M.P.Z. separately.

1. Repression (suppression, repression). This type of protection transfers unacceptable information from consciousness to the unconscious (for example, contrary to morality) or suppresses negative feelings, emotions. Any information and any feelings (even those that have a positive effect on the psyche) can be suppressed if they do not coincide with the model of the world. At the same time, according to the law of conservation of energy, everything that is suppressed does not go anywhere from us, but only transforms into other forms, triggering even more pathological processes. Up to a certain level, we can accumulate negative information or feelings, at best, we can completely dissolve a small negative in our unconscious (the buffer system simply dissipates this part of the displaced energy), but its possibilities are small, so it turns out that in most cases the accumulated negative information and / or feelings are looking for other ways out.

Since repression works like a valve, passing feelings and information only towards the unconscious and not giving them the opportunity to go back, there is nothing left for her to do but change in order to express herself - “up” (into the psyche) in the form of anxiety, anger, insomnia or "down" (into the body) in the form of psychosomatization and conversion syndromes. Once the negative feelings have accumulated to a critical level, they will inevitably cause a feeling of tension in the unconscious (like tension in a computer that runs at full power without interruption). This tension, being non-specific (as opposed to a causal repressed feeling), will easily penetrate into any layers of the psyche, including consciousness. This is how the initial stage of many neuroses is formed.

The feeling of tension is realized by us, and then, depending on our personality, it will be transformed either into a feeling of general anxiety (which will be differentiated and concretized over time), or into a feeling of general irritability, which will also be formed over time into specific irritability or anger at a person. , a group of people or an event. Insomnia appears as a result of tension within the unconscious and is one of the most common symptoms of a neurotic lifestyle. Psychosomatics appears when most of the repressed feelings have gone deeper into the nervous system, disrupting the work of the autonomic nervous system. Symptoms can be completely different - in general, this is a functional violation of one or another body system: from thermoregulation and a coma in the throat to a decrease in immunity and, as a result, frequent colds. The most common psychosomatic disorders in the form of tension in the skeletal muscles (lump in the throat, tension in the muscles of the neck, shoulder girdle, back as a result of exacerbation of osteochondrosis), hypertension or hypotension (fluctuations in blood pressure and pulse), dizziness, increased fatigue, general weakness, C .R.K., neurosis of the heart, etc. (for more details, see Formation of neurosis).

Repression is difficult enough to deal with, but be that as it may, the first stage of the struggle should be the expression (albeit non-specific) of repressed feelings through analysis and introspection. On an intuitive level, we guess what? suppressed in themselves. Using special purification techniques and artificially intensifying your emotions, you need to force their manifestation in order to fully express and empty the tense unconscious. In this case, it is desirable to go through several successive stages - from slight tension, anger and rage to tears, sobs, weakness, calm (the most effective example is the technique of dynamic meditation).

The basis of the fight against repression will be a change in the habit of resolving stressful situations by suppression. You need to learn to express emotions even in those situations where, it would seem, their expression is impossible (see Emotions. Feelings. Ways of expressing emotions).

The ability to recognize your emotions in time will greatly help to express them in time (the inability to recognize emotions is called alexithymia). Double standards, split personality (many subpersonalities that contradict each other), hedonism or moralizing (any extremes) will contribute to the habit of repressing and suppressing feelings and emotions.

2. Compensation (hyper compensation). This defense mechanism manifests itself when underdevelopment in one area of ​​life is compensated by development in another area (or even several). In other words, when a void in one area of ​​the psyche is filled with external (emptiness in the soul, excessive desire for communication, including in social networks) or internal (fantasy, leaving for a "bright" future, dreaminess, imagination of what is not) factors in other areas. In certain amounts, compensation is an auxiliary mechanism for the development of skills, maintaining a balance in the psyche through success in compensatory areas. For a child and a teenager, it acts as a developmental mechanism. However, if this mechanism is strongly expressed, then there is a pathological effect on life and the psyche.

If a person constantly compensates for an undeveloped sphere or dissatisfaction with something else, then he becomes dependent on this “other” (a person-compensator or compensatory sphere of activity), the development of other spheres completely stops. The result is a one-sided, inferior development of the personality with distortions in one area and a complete lack of abilities in another, vital environment. This leads to partial maladjustment when a person comes into contact with the causal sphere for compensation.

Also dangerous is the mechanism of disruption of compensation if the cause of compensation goes away. for example If a person moved from one relationship immediately to another, thereby compensating for the old ones, then he will stay in the new ones only as long as he has dissatisfaction, unresolved, painful memories of the old ones. As soon as these emotions disappear, the desire to be in a new relationship immediately disappears, since they were exclusively compensatory in nature.

The same thing happens with compensatory behavior - it immediately disappears when the reason for compensation disappears (for example, playing sports with low self-esteem: when self-esteem rises, then sport is abandoned, since it was purely compensatory in nature). Another common example are computer games when played by adults. As a rule, this is of a compensatory nature - dissatisfaction in life (material, status, career, power) is compensated by easy and quick victories in military strategies, economic simulations and other games.

Compensating spheres or people become objects of dependence, rather artificial relationships are formed with them than sincere ones. In such relationships, neuroses easily arise.

Alcoholism and drug addiction are often based on compensation - dissatisfaction in life is compensated by enjoyment and a change in reality in the other direction. When taking these psychoactive substances, the emergence of psychological dependence is obvious, with time increasing biological dependence on the drug (however, not only compensation underlies addictions).

The desire for power and money is also often based on compensation. Having low self-esteem, a person, as a rule, seeks to increase it by accumulating the values ​​of society - money, power, status. The compensation mechanism works as long as the compensatory sphere is developed, and it is possible to achieve success in it. Otherwise, a double breakdown occurs: firstly, the absence of a compensatory area or a person-compensator, and secondly, a return to the initial dissatisfaction and complete underdevelopment of that sphere (self-esteem), in relation to which sometimes long-term compensation was built. What a person compensates for - an underdeveloped area in the psyche, body, low self-esteem - does not develop in any way during the compensation process, which turns this psychological defense mechanism into a time bomb.

Solution for pathological compensation. First you need to analyze whether it is present at all in life, if so, then understand its main causes (internal emptiness, dissatisfaction, low self-esteem, underdevelopment in some area) and what compensates for (region, person). All efforts should be directed not to the termination of compensation, otherwise it will cause great stress or simply a change in the compensatory area, but to the reason for which this pathological mechanism is turned on. This cause (the undeveloped area), no matter how much you would like the opposite, you need to try to develop as much as possible. If it is impossible to develop the problem area, it is necessary to accept reality as it is, without the formation of dissatisfaction, because this feeling has no place in the natural state of things. It is necessary to completely close the previous pathological stressful relationships and work on the right increase in self-esteem, without compensating for its lack by the endless pursuit of money, power, status, etc.

3. Rationalization. This mechanism is an attempt to control negative or unacceptable information for us through distortion in order to protect any fact or human behavior. In other words, when a person rationalizes, he, using the plasticity of logic (see Plasticity of logic), adjusts an event or the behavior of another person to his model of the world, while rationally distorting many facts of this event. As an example- justification of one's own or someone else's immoral behavior.

It may seem that rationalization concerns only the cognitive (mental, ideological) link, but this is not true, since any information that poses a danger to us is loaded with emotionally negative emotions, and therefore we begin to defend ourselves against it. After the information and emotions have been adjusted to their perception model, they are already devoid of danger, and this fact is perceived as true - that is, the person himself does not see any distortions. Example: reasoning about war can lead to the conclusion about its usefulness for society, since it provides the flow of new resources, the renewal of the economy, etc.

4. Intellectualization. This is an attempt to control negative emotions through the use of a rational link, so that these emotions can be explained not through their true cause (since it does not suit a person, like negative emotions themselves), but through other reasons and facts - incorrect, but acceptable. The emotion itself is then misinterpreted as a result of a violent thought process, which automatically makes its expression impossible. This leads to the dissociation of the thought process aimed at emotion and the sensory flow itself, originally associated with the fact. Simply put, we process a negative, unacceptable fact in such a way that we end up depriving it of an emotional component, which is simply suppressed (by dissociating from the thought process itself).

Example: the person who stole for the first time immediately experienced unpleasant feelings of guilt about this, but in the process of intellectualization he fully justifies himself (“many people do this, even my boss, so why am I worse?”, “There is nothing wrong with this, since this good for me and my family” and similar misconceptions).

Great damage to the psyche occurs due to the suppressed emotion of guilt, which, one way or another, now in the unconscious will fulfill its function of self-punishment (see Guilt. Pathology).

5. Denial. Any unacceptable and painful fact can be completely denied by our perception as non-existent. Of course, in the depths of our souls, in the unconscious, we understand that this has either already happened, or is happening now, or will happen in the future. That is, in addition to perception, the participation of various layers of our psyche is obligatory here, in particular, the mind, which can easily deny the existence of any real fact or assert the existence of an unreal fact or event. However, complete denial cannot occur due to the fact that, when faced with extremely unacceptable information, we immediately pass it through ourselves, where it leaves its mark. In this sense, denial is similar to rationalization (logical denial of the existence of a fact) and repression (repression of extremely negative feelings into the unconscious) - these two processes occur simultaneously.

The brightest example denial is a person's reaction to a pronounced stressful event in life - the death of a loved one, betrayal or betrayal, etc. First of all, many people react to this by denying the fact of this negative event (“no, this cannot be!”, “I don’t believe that this could happen”). Further, either the normal process of experiencing a stressful event is turned on, or denial is fixed in the psyche, which invariably leads to negative consequences. The consequences are expressed in the fact that a person cannot adequately relate to a sad event, for example, does not come to a funeral or lives as if the deceased person is next to him or left for a while; continues to build relationships with a traitor, a traitor, without making any attempts to solve the problem. In addition, there is a deep suppression of sorrowful feelings of loss, which most often turn into psychosomatic symptoms and cause a violation of various body systems (jumps in blood pressure and pulse, S.R.K., a drop in immunity, hormonal disorders, etc.).

Decision. In the normal state, denial works to limit the flow of information that flows into our psyches in abundance. Also, denial helps to partially mitigate an extremely unpleasant stressful fact at the very beginning of contact with it. However, then it must switch to other forms of natural reactions, to stress. Since the mechanism is unconscious, it is impossible to “catch” it during its operation. Therefore, it is worth analyzing past stressful events for the manifestation of protection through denial and the consequences of it. If you find it there, most likely it works in the present tense, so you need to do a hypothetical analysis and understand where denial can manifest itself now. To do this, it is necessary to determine all stress factors that are present at the moment in life, as well as over the past 3 years. Then analyze which reactions in feelings, thoughts or behavior followed the stress immediately, and which ones were delayed. This will reveal not only denial, but also all other mechanisms of psychological defenses.

To deal specifically with denial, one must address the fact that was repressed and that was unacceptable and therefore excluded as causing suffering. You need to accept this fact, live it (perhaps through sadness, grief, longing, anger, hatred, contempt and other emotions that will eventually go away through your expression), and then try to adapt to it from the position of the norm, not including, if possible, other means of protecting against it, or including them deliberately in controlled doses (so they will be safe).

6. Regression. This method involves not only descending to a lower level in the development of the personality, where there is (did not exist) a “difficult” problem, but also transferring it into the past, as if it had already exhausted itself. But in fact, it either continues to exist now, or has recently really resolved, but this only means that after a while it will repeat again (for example, pathological cyclic relationships, a pathological cyclic scenario in life, addictions), or it has ended, but thanks to regression, there was no adequate response to the stressful event, and negative experiences were only partially suppressed.

Regression is interesting in that it affects the whole personality as a whole. A person should, as it were, degrade, become more primitive, more ignorant, immoral than he really was. This is often accompanied by infantilization of the personality (return to childish, adolescent behavior), primitivization of behavior, regression of creative abilities and moral and ethical values. This method contains a part of denial, part of suppression and avoidance. A person with this protection tries to solve all subsequent problems in the easiest way.

7. Substitution (shift). Here, an inexpressible feeling or opinion is redirected from the object to which they are intended (friend, boss, relative) to any other object (alive or not alive, the main thing is safe for expression) in order to reduce tension through the expression of a specific emotion or feeling, a negative opinion .

The most common example: when a person receives a dose of negativity at work from a manager (colleagues, clients), but cannot express it because of fear of losing his job or his status, he brings this negativity home and starts to “chase” household members, breaks doors, dishes, etc. . To some extent, this reduces tension, but not completely, since the full release of emotion is possible only in relation to the object that caused it.

In small amounts, this protection helps to distribute and redirect feelings in a safe direction, thereby helping a person. But if the substitution is expressed strongly, then it will bring problems. The reasons for them may be different: an inferior expression of feelings to the object-substitute (when part of the energy has to be suppressed), the reverse negative reaction of the substituents to the person who “merges” on them the negative that they do not understand; formation of double standards; inauthentic existence (the impossibility of full-fledged self-expression), which does not solve the problem with the object that causes initial negative experiences.

Typically, the substitution is traced from one external object to another external, but there are other options. For example, auto-aggression is the displacement of anger from an external object onto oneself. The shift from an internal object to an external one is called a projection.

8. Projection. This is a defense mechanism in which we impose our negative experiences and thoughts on another person (other people or even entire events in life) in order to justify and protect ourselves and our attitude towards him (to them). Simply put, this happens when we judge others by ourselves, once again making sure that we are right. By projecting onto others what is happening in us (usually negative feelings and thoughts), we mistakenly attribute it to other people (events), protecting ourselves from our own negativity. In small amounts, projection helps to move negativity from oneself to others, but in most cases, projection performs a negative function in a person's life. Double standards, lack of self-reflection (criticism of one's behavior), low level of awareness, transfer of responsibility to other people - all this provokes us to create even more projections that reinforce these negative processes. It turns out a vicious circle that prevents the solution of real problems that lie in our inner world.

With chronic projection, we will blame our loved ones or other people for their failure, anger, unworthy behavior towards us, we will constantly suspect them of betrayal. The negative consequence of such protection is the desire to correct an external object onto which something negative is projected, or in general get rid of from him, in order to put an end to the feelings he has evoked.

Projection is one of the main qualities of suspicious people, paranoid personalities and hysteroids. Distrusting themselves due to low self-esteem and lack of self-esteem, they (we) shift distrust as a personality trait onto other people and conclude that other people are unreliable and can betray, set up, change at any moment (one of the mechanisms that form pathological jealousy ).

Projection as a protection is part of the global mechanism of perception of the surrounding world.

Decision. It is necessary to reduce projection as a defense, starting with the development of the skill of sensory self-reflection. The ability to recognize our emotions and feelings will automatically insure us against a pronounced projection. With it, we will understand where our feelings and thoughts are, and where others are. This will make it possible to express them correctly, without harm to oneself and others. A pronounced projection of anger and distrust destroys any relationship, since people whom we constantly suspect in our projection of what they did not do and blame for what they did not even think about, simply will not understand us and, as a result, will be disappointed in us.

9. Introjection (identification, identification). This is a reverse projection process, when we attribute to ourselves other people's feelings, emotions, thoughts, behavior, scenarios, perception algorithms. Just like projection, introjection is not so much a defense mechanism as a necessary process of interaction with reality. In childhood and adolescence, it is a necessary learning mechanism when a child copies the behavior of adults, adopting the necessary adaptive ways of perceiving and behaving in reality.

A relatively adaptive role is played by introjection with heroes, superheroes, strong personalities - on the one hand, it helps to develop strong qualities, on the other hand, it deprives us of our individuality and gives false ideas about omnipotence, which inevitably leads to dangerous situations that we cannot cope with. greatly overestimating their capabilities.

pathological influence. Introjection dissolves us in society. Identification with the heroes of films or books not only suppresses our individuality, but also takes us to an alien and unreal world of illusions and hopes, where everything comes true, where people do not die, where there are ideal relationships, ideal people, ideal events. When we return to reality with such a global identification, we unconsciously try to behave in an appropriate way (but we don’t succeed, because superheroes, etc. are fictional characters), we demand an ideal attitude from reality and other people to ourselves, we expect our introjected hopes to come true, and thus we throw ourselves even further away from actually achieving real results. All this as a whole forms a deep sense of dissatisfaction, and as a result - disappointment. When everyone does this, the level of dissatisfaction, like an infection, spreads to a large part of society, turning it (dissatisfaction) into a normal state of affairs.

When identification with an ideal object occurs consciously, then the connection of the introject with it is preserved all the time. The trap is that if the role model disappears or changes (for example, ceases to be a hero), automatically the whole system of introjection in us collapses. This can lead to grief, depression, to a strong decrease in self-esteem, which is mostly based on identification with our hero.

Decision.

a) Analyze the presence and severity of the work of pathological introjection in life.

b) Learn to separate your inner world (emotions, feelings, behavior) and the world of other people (their feelings and behavior).

c) To understand that the introject will never be fully built into our psyche, it will be an external object inside us, that is, a new subpersonality will be formed that will once again split us into pieces.

d) Accept the idea that each person has his own way of development - unique and individual; we need examples of others only for our own learning, and not for copying into our own lives their personalities, character traits, behavior patterns and expectations.

e) Remember that identification with the ideal will surely bring dissatisfaction, disappointment to life, dissolve in the crowd of such imitators.

f) Fight the blurring of one's own boundaries by strengthening one's "I", increase self-esteem, accumulate knowledge about oneself and form a consistent behavior and worldview.

10. Jet formations. This protective mechanism is characterized by the suppression of one feeling (emotion, experience), which is unacceptable or forbidden for expression (by society, by the person himself), by another feeling (emotion, experience) that is directly opposite in meaning, which far exceeds the first feeling in severity.

The complexity of the structure of life often leads to a dual (ambivalent) perception of other people, events, and oneself. But such inconsistency is not perceived by our consciousness either in feelings or in information, we immediately try to get rid of it by any means. One of these methods is reactive formations, which intensify one feeling to the extent that it does not crowd out the opposite one.

For example, when there are two conflicting feelings - hostility on the one hand and love on the other hand - then reactive formations can work in any direction. Both in the direction of hostility, strengthening it to hatred and pronounced disgust (which makes it easy to suppress love for a person and dependence on him), and in the direction of love, which will take on the character of obsession, superdependence (sexualization, idealization, moralization of this person), while completely suppressing hostility and contempt. However, this mechanism does not solve the problem, since the opposite pole periodically makes itself felt (manifested in words or in behavior directly opposite to the main one), since it has not disappeared anywhere, but only passed into the unconscious.

Protection can work even for a lifetime, while its severity may decrease over time. Protection also works in the case of symbiosis or habit to another person. In order to leave or try to leave it, people unconsciously develop directly opposite negative feelings towards the second participant in the symbiosis (as a rule, these are parents). In a teenager, this can manifest itself in a sharp change in attitude towards parents, whom he had recently loved, there is a transition to opposition to them, hostility and disrespect appear - all for the sake of the desire to highlight one's "I", become more adult and independent, get out of symbiotic relationships ( such a situation can be considered as a variant of the norm).

Protection with the help of reactive formations can be turned on not only when we have two ambivalent (contradictory) feelings towards a person or event, but also if we have one feeling, whose manifestation, however, is highly undesirable, is condemned by society, our own morality or any other prohibitions. Automatically, this feeling can switch to the opposite, which is acceptable to society and one's own morality, and is also not blocked by other prohibitions.

Examples. Homophobia in men who are subconsciously prone to homosexual desires (there are exceptions here). Stockholm syndrome, in which the hatred and fear of the hostages for their captors is replaced by understanding, acceptance and even love for them (rather rare). The saying “from love to hate is one step” just describes the work of this protection. Often this protection manifests itself in pathological relationships, where there is enmity between spouses or partners, many conflicts and contradictions, but reactive formations, suppressing the negative, turn these relationships into passionate, dependent, saturated with love, up to obsession with each other. As soon as one of the participants loses the initial repressed feeling (anger, contempt, not switched in the opposite direction), the relationship immediately collapses, as love and dependence go away overnight. This rarely happens, because such relationships are usually sado-masochistic in nature (in the psychological, not in the sexual sense of the word), and they are known to be the strongest relationships on earth, despite their complete pathology, since each gives the other something what he needs.

Decision.

a) As usual, the first thing to do is to analyze, based on the information received above, your life for the presence of this type of protection in it.

b) You need to start working not from the expressed feeling, which is currently manifesting, but from the initial, opposite to it, which is suppressed.

c) You need to work out a repressed feeling carefully, otherwise it can simply turn the defense in the opposite direction, change the pole (love will turn into hatred, but dependence will remain, i.e. you have to hate all your life in order to keep your love).

d) If there are two feelings, you must either consciously choose one, refusing to suppress the other, or create a compromise option.

This is a list of the main types of M.P.Z. is over, however, there are other types of defenses, which are only separate cases of the work of the above, but which are worth knowing about for more effective work on neurosis.

Dissociation- this is a group of various defense mechanisms, as a result of which some part of information, sensory or cognitive, which is undesirable, negative and contains stress factors (perception of reality and oneself in it, time, memory for some events).

In other words, dissociation is the disintegrated work of various mental functions, which, as it were, split (dissociate) from our “I”.

Examples: separate work of thinking and feelings during intellectualization; active forgetting of some negative events; the feeling that the events of my life in the present (past) are (happened) not with me.

Dissociation is characterized by a change in the sense of life; it becomes an alien, another world. Change in self-perception - a person sees himself "as a stranger", characterizes himself as "not his own", Impaired identification with himself, with the outside world or with certain events. It is also worth noting that the above states can occur not only due to dissociation.

Humility. If it is expressed strongly, then it represents self-abasement and slavish obedience. A person becomes a complete conformist, while he receives a lot of encouragement from society, since humble people are beneficial to others - they are obedient, submissive, do not contradict, agree in everything, easily controlled, etc. In return for their behavior, a humble person receives respect, praise, and a positive assessment. At the same time, a person suppresses his “I”, adjusts, avoids conflict with society.

Moralization- this is the attribution of moral qualities (which are not in reality) to a significant person for us in order to justify him in our eyes. Moreover, such a person most often does not adhere to the high moral principles that we attribute to him. We do this to avoid or suppress our feelings of contempt, disgust, or anger towards him.

Turn against yourself or auto-aggression. This method implies a shift in the direction of aggression from the object to which it is intended (the culprit, the cause of anger) to itself, since the original object is either inaccessible for expressing anger, or expressing negativity towards it is prohibited by moral principles (for example, if it is a close person: a girlfriend , friend, spouse, etc.). The substitution in such situations usually shifts from external objects to itself. Despite the destructive nature of defense (physical and mental self-punishment, self-abasement), it becomes easier for a person in comparison with the initial stressful situation that caused this defensive reaction. May refer to such mechanisms as reactive formations and displacement.

Sexualization. This defense mechanism is similar to moralization, only with the aim of protecting the object from their own negative feelings (contempt, disgust, anger) and thoughts. The object is given a special sexual meaning, up to a strong increase in sexual attraction to it. Often this is observed after the betrayal of spouses (partners), which they know about. Refers to the mechanism of reactive formations.

Sublimation. This is a group of different mechanisms, the common feature of which is the redistribution of energy from pathological desires and needs to normal ones - socially acceptable and adaptive. Also, energy with the help of sublimation can be redistributed from forbidden bi

Stressful and threatening experiences often cause anxiety. How can we cope with this unpleasant condition? Psychodynamic psychologists have identified various defense mechanisms that protect us from anxiety. You may not always be aware of this, but you are probably using some of the following defense mechanisms.

In a threatening situation, a person has an unpleasant feeling, namely anxiety. A person experiencing anxiety feels tension, awkwardness, anxiety, he is easily vulnerable. All this can lead a person to the method of focusing on emotions, which by its very nature is a PSYCHOLOGICAL defense. Since anxiety is unpleasant and inconvenient for us, we usually try to run into it. Psychological defense mechanisms allow us to reduce anxiety caused by a stressful situation or our mistakes.

What defense mechanisms reduce anxiety?

Defense mechanisms areany process by which a source of threat or anxiety can be avoided, denied or misrepresented. Defense mechanisms also help us adjust our idealized self so that we are comfortable with ourselves. Sigmund Freud was the first to identify many types of defenses and suggested that these mechanisms operate unconsciously. Often defense mechanisms create gaps in our awareness of the situation. For example, I know a very stingy person who is completely unaware that he is stingy.

Each of us at one time or another has used defense mechanisms. Let's look at some of the more common ones.

Negation.

One of the most basic types of defense is denial (when a person defends himself from an unpleasant reality or refuses to accept everything as it is and believe it). Denial directly arises in the event of death, illness, and similar painful and threatening events. For example, if you were suddenly told that you had three months to live, how would you react? Your first thought is likely to be this;« Well, someone must have mixed up the x-rays," or "The doctor must be wrong," or simply, "That can't be true!" Similarly, denial and disbelief are the most common reactions to the unexpected death of a friend or relative: “It just can't be. I do not believe in that. I just don't believe it!"

crowding out.

Freud noticed that his patients had great difficulty remembering shocking or traumatic childhood experiences. It seemed that powerful forces interfered with the realization of these painful memories. Freud called this repression. He believed that we protect ourselves by suppressing threatening thoughts and impulses. Feelings of hostility towards a family member, the names of people we don't like, and past failures are the most common objects of repression.

Reaction formation .

In this defense mechanism, impulses are not simply repressed; but exaggerated opposite behavior inhibits the manifestation of such emotions. For example, a mother who unconsciously rejects children may become absurdly caring and forgiving in the process of forming a reaction. And her real thoughts “I hate them” and “I wish they were gone” are replaced by such “I love them” and “I don’t know what I would do without them”. Hostile impulses are exchanged for "excess of love", so that she does not have to admit the idea that she hates her children. Thus, the basic idea in reaction formation is that the person acts in the opposite way to block threatening impulses or feelings.

Regression.

In the broadest sense, regression is a return to earlier and less difficult situations and habits. Most parents who have a second child have to come to terms with some regression in the older child. An older child, when feeling threatened by the first rival and fighting for the love of their parents, may purposely change their speech to be more childish, begin to wet the bed, or act too infantile after the second child arrives. If you've ever seen a child get homesick at summer camp or vacation, you've seen a regression. An adult who has an outburst of anger or a married person who "goes home to his mother" also shows regression.

Projection

This is an unconscious process that protects us from the anxiety we would feel if we saw our own mistakes. A person in the process of projection tends to attribute their feelings, faults, or unacceptable behavior to other people. Projection reduces anxiety by exaggerating the negative traits of others. This justifies the person's actions and diverts his attention from personal failures.

The author once worked for a greedy shop owner who was cheating a large number of customers. This man considered himself a pillar of society and a good Christian. How did he justify his greed and dishonesty? He believed that anyone who entered his store was going to deceive him in any way they could. In fact, some of the buyers may have had the same motives as him, but projected onto them his own greed and dishonesty.

Rationalization.

Every teacher is familiar with this strange phenomenon: on the day of the exam, a strong wave of misfortune sweeps through the city. Mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, grandparents, friends, relatives and pets fall ill or die, Cars suddenly stall. Books get lost or stolen, alarm clocks stop forever and refuse to ring.

Making excuses comes from a natural tendency to explain our behavior. Rationalization occurs when we justify our own behavior and create "rational" but false grounds for it. When you manage to come up with a reasonable and convincing explanation for your own behavior - but not the real reason - you are engaged in rationalization. For example, Taylor failed to turn in an assignment he received at the beginning of the semester. Here is the explanation he presented to the professor:

My car broke down two days ago and I was only able to get to the library yesterday. Then I couldn't get all the books I needed because some of them were out of stock, but I wrote as much as I could. And last night, the last straw - I ran out of cartridge in the printer, and since all the stores were closed, I could not turn in the job on time.

When asked why he put off the assignment until the last day (the real reason was that he turned it in too late), Taylor offered a whole host of other reasons.

All the defense mechanisms described here seem completely undesirable. Do they have a positive side?

People who rhyme frequently resort to defense mechanisms become less fit because they expend a lot of emotional energy controlling anxiety and maintaining an unrealistic self-image. There are still benefits to defense mechanisms. They often help us endure an immediate threat. We have time to deal with the threat more effectively and focus on the problem. If you recognize your own behavior in the behavior described by us, this does not mean that you have become hopelessly defending yourself. As noted earlier, most people resort to defense mechanisms from time to time.

Positive Ways to Protect

Compensation.

Compensatory reactions are types of defense against feelings of inferiority. A person who has a defect or weakness can do much to overcome his own weakness or compensate for it by excelling in other areas. One of the pioneers of iron will in America was Jack LaLanne, who had a successful bodybuilding career despite being an unusually thin and sickly young man. Or rather, it was because he was thin and sickly. There are many ways to see compensation in action. A stuttering child can be an excellent participant in school debates. Franklin D. Roosevelt's achievements began after he was paralyzed. Since childhood, Helen Keller could neither see nor hear, but she became an outstanding thinker and writer. Doc Watson, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder and many other great musicians were blind.

Sublimation.

The defense strategy called sublimation is defined as the displacement of frustrated desires (especially sexual ones) through socially acceptable activities. Freud believed that art, music, dance, poetry, scientific research and other forms of creativity serve to translate sexual energy into productive behavior. In fact, almost any strong desire can be sublimated. For example, a very aggressive person would be socially acceptable if he became a professional soldier, boxer, or soccer player. Greed can be transformed into a successful business career. Lies can be sublimated into storytelling, writing, or politics.

It seems that sexual motives are most often sublimated. Freud would have fun if he took up modern forms of entertainment such as surfing, riding a motorcycle, racing, dancing, or playing rock - and this is only a small part of these types of entertainment. People enjoy each of these activities for a variety of reasons, but it's hard not to notice the sexual symbolism of each of these activities.

The article was prepared based on the materials of the book by D. Kuhn "All the secrets of human behavior" for the site