Great role Freud in psychological science lies in the fact that he was the first to speak about the role of the unconscious in human psyche. Before him, the idea that a person might not know something about himself seemed a strange heresy - now it is Foundation stone psychotherapy. But the assessment of this role since the time of Freud has stepped far forward. It is easy to guess that protection is, in general, a positive thing: an umbrella protects us from the rain, clothes from the cold, bank deposit insurance from bankruptcy. Psychological protection protects us from heartache- and in the optimal scenario, there is nothing bad in this, but good.
Sometimes, of course, it happens that you opened up - and then, instead of being close to you, a shell flies into your soul. Then, of course, it hurts. However, again, nothing fatal, the human psyche is mobile and capable of recovery: if a person throws shell fragments out of his soul, then his spiritual wound will heal, and his soul will become whole and cheerful again. But this is - if he throws it out.
This is "throwing away the remains of the projectile" in a scientific way is called reacting to a psychologically traumatic situation. In my metaphor, it looks like an explosion - the soul hurts, and the person explodes: screaming, crying, desperately indignant, stamping his feet and throwing cups at the wall ... And, as soon as all the consequences of the trauma are reacted, the healing process of healing begins by itself. This is a biologically normal process.
But we are not only biological beings! We are social beings. Have you seen a lot of citizens breaking through the walls with cups? That's it. Metaphorically speaking, our "plates" often collapse before the explosion has time to occur. And all the shell fragments remain inside. What happens when a shard wanders inside? - inflammation. It still hurts inside, but we don’t feel it, because the same steel armor protects us from this inner pain. In academic psychology, by the way, this process is called very similarly: containment. Hidden and forgotten. We do not feel.
But if only there was only one shard! And they are recruited for a lifetime - mother don’t worry ... And you have to build up and build up a layer of steel on the defenses so that you don’t feel this terrible pain, why they move worse and worse, and at some point stop opening at all - and a person loses an acute sense of beauty, ceases to experience sympathy, tenderness, love and childish joy of being ... in general, "souls become stale." And the inflammation inside keeps growing and growing, and at some point already maximum power protection does not save - a kind of dull pain penetrates the consciousness: it is not clear about what, it is not clear why, it's just somehow everything is gray, dull, and you want to hang yourself. Hello depression!
Some, however, layer other protections on top - no longer steel, there is nowhere to go, but some other ones. Phobias there are some thread, obsessions, panic attacks, all sorts of rituals - well, at least something to distract from this incomprehensible mental pain. And sometimes there is no special emotional pain, just psychosomatics dawns in a magnificent color: it will seize the throat, then the heart, then the stomach ulcer will rage ...
In principle, all this indicates one thing: the psychological container has overflowed, it's time to release it. If you are a person of exceptional awareness, then you can do it yourself by analyzing your reactions, exploring your own unconscious, and allowing repressed feelings to spill out somewhere in safe place. In other cases, with such problems, your choice is psychotherapy.
What is psychotherapy?
Speaking, again, metaphorically, during psychotherapy you need to open these rusted armor and throw out all those fragments of old shells that roam in your soul. And, of course, to reconsider the usual patterns of behavior - perhaps it is worth changing something in them so that in the future the fragments do not get stuck unreacted?This is not an instant process.
It takes some time (up to 18 months) for the formation of a new behavior after working through traumas. Fortunately, there is no need to communicate with a psychotherapist all this time, you can work on yourself on your own: a psychotherapist is needed primarily to help you find those places in your soul where fragments of trauma are stuck, in other words, those areas of the unconscious where internal conflict, - and pull this pain out of there "by the ear and into the sun"; throw it out. Then it grows anyway by itself, at its own pace, and even nine therapists will not speed up the process, just like nine women are not able to bear a child in one month.
But there is an important caveat here - "after working through injuries." How much time will pass before the injury is not even worked out, but only discovered - depends on the strength of those very defenses. From how ready the client is to peer into his unconscious and feel this pain ... And he, as a rule, is not very ready: he has protection! The unconscious avoidance of this pain itself. Do you like it when they poke your fingers into an old fragment? - Well, that's it ... so he moves away. Involuntarily. We are all humans.
In classical psychotherapy, such defenses are already called resistance, and they are regarded very negatively: well, like a saboteur, he does not want to face his own pain, although the psychotherapist is standing here, kicking with his leg, hatchet in his hand, dressing material at the ready ...
This position is not close to me, moreover, it seems to be a consequence of my own personal problems therapist, entangled in the Karpman triangle: the desire to drive a person to happiness with an iron hand is perceived by me as a sign of neurosis. Like those Buddhists, I believe that “everything in the world is already perfect” and I try not to succumb to the excitement to quickly fix everything, everything, everything that has been accumulating all my life – although, of course, sometimes it can be difficult not to succumb to the excitement, because I am also alive human. The resistance of the client in this sense is a useful factor, because it is sobering: it means that this is his process, which he needs for some reason. Let it be: maybe there is inside him a trauma of such depth and intensity that I can’t even imagine? Why go there with an ax? The time will come - the client himself will climb there and react.
After all, strong resistance is a sign of strong defenses; and having strong defenses is a good thing, not a bad thing at all. Psychotherapy, let's not forget, only brief stage in the life of any person - and he should continue to live with the protections that he has; and let them be stronger… sooner or later the resistance will dissipate, one way or another: no one has ever resisted forever.
Of all the modalities of psychotherapy, only the process-oriented one supports my approach.
And although we love her not for this (c) - such a coincidence with mine own thoughts cannot but rejoice.
Internal resistance is when you know what you need to do in order to achieve a result, but an inner voice whispers endless reasons: why not now, not this, not with that, etc. By trying to outsmart ourselves, we waste time and gain guilt for "wasting years." You might think that this is what ordinary laziness looks like and you just need to pull yourself together. But laziness is when you do not want to do any business, you are immediately ready to do anything, but not what you need. Not everyone can overcome the fear of a "white sheet", as the writers say.
Usually resistance is overcome by a reward, a premonition of happiness from what has been done.
A presentiment of happiness, a reward gives motivation to overcome difficulties, look for solutions, spend time, money. When the reward or benefit is worthwhile, the person acts with enthusiasm and fire. It is in our nature. Remember how a baby learns to walk. He falls and gets up, he gets angry, he screams, but he still tries until he is exhausted. But having barely rested, he continues to make more and more attempts to get to his mother, to the toy, etc. with renewed vigor. The reward that awaits him for perseverance is great, and enthusiasm does not fade.
When the reward for the child is not obvious or abstract, or delayed in time, the enthusiasm to overcome difficulties fades. This is easy to imagine, remembering the torment in preparing homework. Remember the joke: "Mom was hoarse, dad was deaf, the neighbors learned the verse by heart." And it doesn’t matter whether you are a child or a parent: if the reward is unclear, these will be “torn years”.
If a parent does not understand that the independence of the child is a reward worth fighting for, it will be difficult for him to endure and wait until the child learns to do his homework on his own. Shouting, urging, doing homework for a child is easier than encouraging a kid, reinforcing success with praise, enduring and waiting.
The nature of desire in an adult is no different from a child: we also need a reward that will encourage us to overcome all obstacles on the way to it.
Why do we sabotage the fulfillment of some desires, although the reward is obvious? Why internal resistance wins?
As you know, our psyche consists of a conscious and unconscious part. The unconscious stores everything that we are not yet ready to realize in our lives. We desire something, perhaps even do, enjoy, but we are not ready to admit our unwillingness to realize our desires, and the conscious part of our psyche carefully selects the arguments with which we explain to ourselves all the discrepancies with reality. Moreover, these arguments may even be illogical, but if they are in any way similar to the truth, we perceive them as true and have no doubt that this is the case. This is our psychological defense that protects us from facing a reality we don't want to see.
Sabotage and resistance arises when the benefit from sabotage more than doing. Benefit is a pleasure that we cannot refuse. If it's better for us not to know English language, we will sabotage his study, and no courses will help. We have hidden benefit from the failure to perform, it would seem, such an important matter. But we do not realize this benefit, for some reason we hide it from ourselves, it is not profitable for us to see it, we are not ready to give up the pleasure that it brings us.
But the longer the benefit remains hidden, the more likely it is to turn into a neurosis. Next to desire is always the anxiety that the reward will not be received. Accordingly, where there is a hidden benefit, there is a hidden anxiety - this is fertile ground for neurosis, health problems, relationships, work, etc. Everything hidden strives to be revealed, even if we resist.
In order to discover and realize their hidden benefits, a person needs another person who can see and show these hidden benefits.
Psychological defenses are so strong that we in our inner world do not doubt that we are right. If a person knows that he is handsome, then he is handsome, if he decides that he is ugly, then he is sure that he is ugly. But this is his Subjective opinion, formed under a certain influence, in reality, everything can be different. We need another person (an agent of reality) who can show the client his delusions or correctness.
Having discovered and realized his hidden benefit, a person understands why his hands do not reach important matters. He understands what his pleasure is from the hidden benefit, and can decide whether to refuse it to him and go ahead or continue to act in the old way, but no longer experiencing pangs of conscience, but understanding his choice. He loses the hidden anxiety that tormented him, taking energy away. Now he's ready to do conscious choice rather than playing cat and mouse with yourself.
We must admit that we all strive for pleasure, and we can refuse it only in exchange for the promise of even greater pleasure. The reward looming ahead forces us to abandon old gains and move forward towards new goals.
What psychological resistance? These are all the forces in the psyche of a person (client) that counteract an unpleasant situation or psychological help, because it is associated with the inevitability of painful sensations (psychological pain).
Why do we need psychological protection?
We have already mentioned above that protection, including psychological, protects any person from the past (psychotrauma, memories); or actual (immediately occurring situation) or future (hypothetical fears and experiences) psychological pain. Nature has created these defenses for ... quick psychological self-help (approximately as a response to an illness or injury in the body). However, only a response to diseases and physical injuries of the body cannot cope, no matter how much you strengthen it and do not increase immunity. Therefore, doctors, medicines, surgical interventions, physiotherapy, sanatorium treatment and so on are needed. With the psyche, everything is almost the same - psychological defenses ONLY PROTECT, but do not “cure”, i.e. They don't solve the problem, it stays with you. Therefore, relying on “psychological immunity, psychological resistance” and being stable and enduring from this to the psychological ups and downs of one’s life, alas, is not enough. After all, it is psychological defenses that make a person in ordinary life strange, inadequate, notorious, and so on. They defended something, but for normal life unsuitable. It's like walking everywhere in armor - to work, to rest, to friends, and to sleep in armor and eat in armor and take a shower in armor, and so on. They will interfere with you, and cause bewilderment among others (this is in an easy case).
So in what cases do psychological defenses and resistances manifest themselves?
1. Past psychological trauma(stress)
2. Bad memories
3. Fear of any failure
4. Fear of any change
5. The desire to meet their childhood needs (infantilism)
6. Secondary benefit from your illness or condition
7. Too "hard" consciousness, when it punishes a person with incessant neurotic suffering
8. Unwillingness to change a “convenient” social position to an “uncomfortable” one - to be active, work on oneself, be sexy, be socially adaptive, earn more, change partners, and so on.
What are the consequences of psychological defenses if the psychological problem is not solved?
1. First, the adaptability of behavior is lost, i.e. the person behaves inappropriately to the situation. Communicates worse. Limits his lifestyle or it becomes very specific.
2. Further disadaptation grows. Psychosomatic illnesses (diseases caused by emotional trauma) may occur. growing internal stress, anxiety. The "script" of life begins to obey psychological protection from mental pain: a certain kind hobbies, hobbies, profession.
3. Lifestyle becomes a form of "painless psychotherapy." Protective lifestyle becomes the most important, thus. there is a constant denial of problems and aggravation of maladjustment and psychosomatics.
What are psychological defenses?
1. Sewerage of aggression on other people (in verbal (verbal) or behavioral form) - speaks of hidden feeling guilt.
2. Repression - pushing painful memories and feelings, impulses out of consciousness. A person simply “forgot”, “didn’t have time”, “didn’t do it”.
3. Denial - intentionally ignoring painful realities and acting as if they do not exist: "didn't notice", "didn't hear", "didn't see", etc. obvious stimuli, signals. (Scarlett (Gone with the Wind): "I'll think about it tomorrow").
4. Formation of a reaction (with neurosis obsessive states(obsessive-compulsive neurosis) - an exaggeration of one emotional aspect situations in order to suppress the opposite emotion with it. For example, to be extremely unctual, but in fact the desire to be free over time.
5. Transfer (transfer, movement) - a change in the object of feelings (transfer from the real, but subjectively dangerous object to subjectively safe). An aggressive reaction to the boss is transferred from the boss, who cannot be punished due to a number of psychological and other reasons, to the dog as a weaker creature (the Japanese used this psychic protection in the invention of puppets for fighting, replacing the boss); or transferring love or aggression to the therapist, instead of expressing these emotions to the real object that caused these feelings.
6. Reverse feeling - a change in impulse, its transformation from active to passive (and vice versa) - or a change in its direction (to oneself from another, or to another from oneself), for example, sadism - can turn into masochism, or masochism - into sadism.
7. Suppression (phobias) - restriction of thoughts or actions in order to avoid those that can cause anxiety, fears. This psychic protection gives rise to various personal rituals (an amulet for an exam, certain clothes for self-confidence, etc.).
8. Identification with the aggressor (imitation) - imitation of what is understood as an aggressive manner of external authority. Criticism by children of their parents in their own aggressive manner. Imitating the behavior of your boss at home with your family.
9. Asceticism - denying oneself pleasures with the appearance of one's own superiority.
10. Intellectualization, rationalization (obsessive-compulsive neurosis) - excessive reasoning as a way of experiencing conflicts, a long discussion (without experiencing the affect associated with the conflict), a “rational” explanation of the causes of what happened, in fact, having nothing to do with a rational explanation.
11. Isolation of affect (obsessive - compulsive neurosis) - suppression of feelings associated with a particular thought.
12. Regression - return to early age(crying, helplessness, smoking, alcohol and other infantile reactions)
13. Sublimation - the transfer of one type of energy into another: sex - into creativity; aggression into political activity.
14. Splitting - the separation of positive and negative in the images of "I" and objects. A sharp change in “+” and “-” assessments of oneself and others is an unrealistic and unstable assessment. "+" and "-" coexist separately, but in parallel. For example, then a psychotherapist "+", then suddenly "-" and so on about any significant person.
15. Devaluation - reducing the important to a minimum and contemptuous denial of it.
16. Primitive idealization - exaggeration of the power and prestige of another person.
17. Omnipotence is an exaggeration own strength.
18. Projection - giving one's own conflicting or any other impulses to another person.
19. Projective identification - a projection onto some person, over which the person then tries to establish control. Projecting one's hostility onto others and expecting the same from them.
20. Repression - the suppression of desires.
21. Escapism - avoiding the goal of the situation. This can be expressed literally, i.e. behaviorally, a person can physically run away from a situation (from communication, from a meeting), or can indirectly avoid specific topics conversation.
22. Autism - deep withdrawal into oneself (out of the "life game").
23. Reactive formation is the replacement of behavior or feelings with the opposite behavior or feeling as a reaction to severe stress.
24. Introjection - uncritical assimilation of other people's beliefs and attitudes.
25. Fanaticism is an imaginary fusion of the desired and the real.
This is far from full list of all psychological defenses, but these are the most striking and widespread reactions. In any case, these reactions do not free the person from psychological problem, but only temporarily protect, give the opportunity to "psychologically survive" in critical situation.
Shiryaev Igor and Larisa
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Resistance
Resistance - psychic forces and processes that interfere with the patient's free association, his memories, penetration into the depths of the unconscious, awareness of unconscious ideas and desires, understanding the origins of the emergence of neurotic symptoms, acceptance by the patient of the interpretations provided by the analyst, conducting psychoanalytic treatment and healing the patient.
Freud's notion of resistance came early in his therapeutic career, almost before he began calling his method of treating the nervously ill psychoanalysis in 1896. So, in the work “Studies in Hysteria” (1895), written jointly with Breuer, he not only used the concept of “resistance”, but also attempted a meaningful consideration of the forces and processes designated by this term.
In the second chapter "On the Psychotherapy of Hysteria" of this work, Freud expressed the following considerations: in the process of therapy, the doctor has to "overcome the resistance" of the patient; his mental work he must overcome the patient's "psychic strength" which resists the memories and awareness of pathogenic ideas; it is the same psychic force which contributed to the hysterical symptoms; it represents a “rejection on the part of the ego”, a “rebuff” of unbearable ideas, painful and unsuitable for evoking the affects of shame, reproach, mental pain, a sense of inferiority; therapy involves serious work as the ego returns to its intentions and continues its resistance; the patient does not want to admit the motives of his resistance, but can give them out retroactively; he obviously cannot resist at all; the doctor must be aware of the various forms in which this resistance manifests itself; excessively prolonged resistance is manifested in the fact that the patient does not experience free associations, there are no clues, the pictures that arise in the memory turn out to be incomplete and indistinct; mental resistance, especially created long time, can only be overcome slowly and gradually; to overcome resistance, intellectual motives are necessary and the affective moment is important - the personality of the doctor.
Freud's ideas about resistance were further developed in many of his subsequent works. Thus, in The Interpretation of Dreams (1900), he expressed a number of ideas about resistance: at night, resistance loses some of its strength, but is not completely eliminated, but participates in the formation of a distorted dream; the dream is formed by the weakening of the resistance; weakening and circumvention of resistance is possible due to the state of sleep; between the conscious and the unconscious and acting in the psyche, censorship is due to resistance; it is the "main culprit" of forgetting the dream or separate parts; if in this moment If one fails to interpret the dream, then it is better to postpone this work until the resistance, which at that time had an inhibitory effect, has been overcome.
In the article "On Psychotherapy" (1905), Freud explained why a few years ago he abandoned the technique of suggestion and hypnosis. Along with other reasons, he reproached them with the fact that they close the understanding of the play of psychic forces from the doctor, in particular, they do not show him the resistance with which the sick maintain their illness, oppose recovery. The rejection of the technique of suggestion and hypnosis led to the emergence of psychoanalysis, focused on revealing the unconscious, accompanied by constant resistance of the patient. Given the latter circumstance, psychoanalytic treatment can be seen as a kind of "re-education to overcome internal resistances."
In On Psychoanalysis (1910), which was five lectures given at Clark University (USA) in 1909, Freud emphasized that the resistance of the patient is the force that maintains the morbid state, and that on this idea he built his understanding mental processes with hysteria. At the same time, he introduced a terminological clarification. Behind the forces that prevent the forgotten from becoming conscious, the name "resistance" has been preserved. The process by which the same forces contributed to the forgetfulness and elimination from consciousness of the corresponding pathogenic representations he called repression, and regarded it as proven by the undeniable existence of resistance. Having made these distinctions and using examples taken from clinical practice and everyday life, he showed the specifics of repression and resistance, as well as the relationship between them.
In On "Wild" Psychoanalysis (1910), Freud pointed out the technical errors of some physicians and the changes that the technique of psychoanalysis had undergone. The point of view previously shared by him, according to which the patient suffers from a special kind of ignorance and will recover if this ignorance is eliminated, turned out to be superficial. As the practice of psychoanalysis has shown, it is not this ignorance that is a pathogenic moment, but the reasons for this ignorance, which lie in internal resistance that caused this ignorance. Therefore, the task of therapy is to overcome these resistances. The change in the technique of psychoanalysis also consisted in the fact that two conditions had to be fulfilled in order to overcome the resistances. First, thanks to appropriate preparation, the patient himself must approach the material he has repressed. Secondly, he must transfer himself to the doctor to such an extent that his feelings for him will make it impossible for him to escape again into the disease. Only when these conditions are met does the recognition of resistance and the mastery of it become real. Freud's Remembrance, Repetition, and Processing (1914) contained ideas for refining the change in technique of psychoanalysis. It was about the fact that the doctor's opening of resistance and pointing to it to the patient can often lead, as it were, to backfire. That is, not a weakening, but an increase in resistance. But this should not confuse the doctor, since the opening of the resistance is not followed by its automatic termination. The analyst should not be in a hurry, he needs to learn to wait for the inevitable, which does not always allow for an acceleration of treatment. In a word, the processing of resistances becomes in practice a painful task for the analysand and a test of the doctor's patience. But it is this part of the work that, according to Freud, has the greatest changing effect on the patient. In On the Dynamics of Transference (1912), the founder of psychoanalysis addressed the question of why transference arises in the process of analysis in the form of "the strongest resistance." The discussion of this question led him to the following conclusions: resistance at every step accompanies treatment; every thought, every act of the patient has to reckon with resistances; the idea of transfer corresponds to the idea of resistance; the intensity of the transference is "an act and an expression of resistance"; after the transference resistance is overcome, the resistance of other parts of the complex does not present any particular difficulties.
In "Lectures on Introduction to Psychoanalysis" (1916-1917), Freud emphasized that the resistances of patients are extremely diverse, often difficult to recognize, constantly changing their forms of manifestation. In the process of analytic therapy, resistance first of all opposes the basic technical rule of free association, then takes the form of intellectual resistance, and finally develops into transference. The overcoming of these resistances constitutes an essential achievement of analysis. Altogether, Freud's notion of the resistance of neurotics to the elimination of their symptoms formed the basis of a dynamic view of neurotic illness. In this regard, the Lectures on Introduction to Psychoanalysis deserve special attention. They first raised the question of narcissistic neuroses, in which, according to the founder of psychoanalysis, "resistance is insurmountable." It followed that the narcissistic neuroses were "hardly permeable" to previously used psychoanalytic techniques and thus technical methods must be replaced by others. In short, understanding the difficulties of overcoming resistance in narcissistic neuroses opened up a new line of research related to the psychoanalytic therapy of such diseases. In addition, in the Introduction to Psychoanalysis, it was shown that the forces underlying the resistance of patients to psychoanalytic treatment are rooted not only in the dislikes of the ego towards certain directions of the libido, but also in the attachment or "stickiness of the libido", which reluctantly leaves previously selected objects. In Inhibition, Symptom, and Fear (1926), Freud expanded his understanding of resistance. If at the beginning of his therapeutic activity he believed that in analysis it was necessary to overcome the resistance emanating from the I of the patient, then as the practice of psychoanalysis developed, it became obvious that after the elimination of the resistance of the I, one had to overcome the force of obsessive repetition, which, in fact, was nothing more than as the resistance of the unconscious. Further deepening into the nature of resistances led Freud to the need to classify them. In any case, he singled out five types of resistance emanating from the I, It and Super-I. From the ego come three kinds of resistances, expressed in the form of repression, transference and benefit from illness. From It - the fourth type of resistance associated with obsessive repetitions and requiring careful study to eliminate it. Of the Superego, the fifth resistance, driven by guilt, guilt, or the need for punishment, resists all success, including recovery through analysis.
Another step in the meaningful understanding of resistance was made by Freud in his work "Finite and Infinite Analysis" (1937), where he suggested that in the course of treatment in the form of "resistance to healing" the defense mechanisms of the self, built against previous dangers, are repeated. From this followed the need to study defense mechanisms, since it turned out that there was "resistance to the disclosure of resistance." It was, in Freud's words, about resistances not only to awareness of the contents of the id, but also to analysis in general and, consequently, to healing. Discussing this issue, he also expressed the idea that the properties of the ego, felt as resistance, can be both due to heredity and acquired in a defensive struggle. Thus, he correlated resistance with the "stickiness of the libido", and with mental inertia, and with a negative therapeutic reaction, and with a destructive drive, which is the drive of living matter to death. In addition, he believed that in men there is resistance to a passive or feminine attitude towards other men, and in women - resistance associated with penis envy. In a word, one of the strongest resistances to the transference is revealed from the stubborn overcompensation of the man; while the woman's desire for a penis results in bouts of severe depression, accompanied by the conviction that analytic treatment is useless.
In An Essay on Psychoanalysis (1940), published after Freud's death, it was emphasized that overcoming resistances is that part of analytic therapy that requires the most time and effort and which is worth it, as it leads to a lifelong favorable change in the self. The founder of psychoanalysis once again drew attention to the sources of resistance, including the need to "be sick and suffering." One of the resistances, emanating from the Superego and conditioned by the feeling or consciousness of guilt, does not interfere intellectual work but hinders its effectiveness. Another resistance that manifests itself in neurotics, in whom the instinct of self-preservation has reversed its direction, leads to the fact that patients are unable to accept recovery through psychoanalytic treatment and resist it with all their might.
In a number of his works, including "On Psychoanalysis" (1910), "Resistance to Psychoanalysis" (1925), Freud used the psychoanalytic concept of the mechanisms of resistance not only in considering neurotic diseases and the difficulties of their treatment, but also in explaining why some people do not share psychoanalytic ideas and criticize psychoanalysis. Resistance against psychoanalysis was regarded by him from the point of view of the manifestation of human reactions due to his hidden, repressed desires associated with the rejection of open psychoanalytic theory and the practice of unconscious sexual and aggressive drives. Every person who judges psychoanalysis has repressions, while psychoanalysis seeks to transfer the material repressed into the unconscious into consciousness. Therefore, as Freud noted, it is not surprising that psychoanalysis should arouse in such people the same resistance that arises in neurotics.
The ideas expressed by Freud about resistance were further developed in the studies of a number of psychoanalysts. Thus, W. Reich in his article "On the Technique of Interpretation and Analysis of Resistances" (1927), which is a report at a seminar on analytical therapy, read by him in Vienna in 1926, not only paid considerable attention to the problem of resistance, but also expressed a number of original considerations on this occasion. These considerations, later reproduced by him in the work "Character Analysis" (1933), boiled down to the following: each resistance has historical meaning(origin) and current meaning; the resistances are nothing but separate parts of a neurosis; analytical material that makes it possible to judge resistances is not only dreams, erroneous actions, fantasies and messages of the patient, but also his manner of expression, look, speech, facial expressions, clothing and other attributes included in his behavior; in the process of analysis, it is necessary to adhere to the principle that “no interpretation of the meaning if it is necessary to interpret the resistance”; resistances, too, cannot be interpreted before they are fully developed and in the most important way are not understood by the analyst; it depends on the experience of the analyst whether he can recognize and identify "latent resistances"; “latent resistances” is a behavior of the patient, which is not revealed directly (in the form of doubt, distrust, silence, stubbornness, lack of thoughts and fantasies, being late), but indirectly, in the form of analytical achievements, say, in over-obedience or the absence of obvious resistances; in analytical work special role plays technical problem latent negative transference acting as resistance; the stratification of the first transference resistance is due to the individual fate of infantile love; first it is necessary to explain to the patient that he has resistances, then what means they use and, finally, what they are directed against.
Defense in psychoanalysis is a set of conscious or unconscious actions aimed at reducing or eliminating any change that threatens the integrity and stability of the biopsychological individual. Since this stability is embodied in the I, which in every possible way strives to preserve it, it can be considered a stake and actor in these processes.
Generally we are talking about protection from internal excitement (inclinations, usually sexual, destructive, egoistic) and especially from ideas (memories, fantasies) involved in this attraction, as well as about protection from situations that give rise to such arousal that disturbs mental balance and, therefore, unpleasant for I. It also implies protection from unpleasant affects, which then act as pretexts or signals for protection.
The concept of "protection" was used by Z. Freud when trying psychological explanation hysteria, phobias, obsessions and hallucinatory psychoses. According to his assumptions, the defense is directed against an idea that is unbearable for a person in order to weaken it by separating the affect from it and diverting this affect from the psyche to the somatic. Displaced affect has the ability to return from the somatic area to the original idea, which can give rise to a hysterical fit. If the unbearable, morbid idea has close connection with reality, then protection from it can lead to hallucinatory psychosis, as a rejection of reality.
Expressed by Z. Freud in different time ideas about the defenses of the I from unconscious drives and their actions in the human psyche served Starting point for those psychoanalysts who have paid attention in their therapeutic and research activities defense mechanisms I.
How many defense mechanisms does a person have?
There is still no unequivocal answer to this question, since there is no unanimity of opinion among the authors of various psychological trends. For example, Anna Freud's original monograph describes 15 defense mechanisms. Coleman, author of a textbook on pathopsychology, offers a list of 17 defense mechanisms. The American Psychiatric Association's 1975 Dictionary of Psychiatry lists 23 defense mechanisms. There are 18 of them in Villent's reference dictionary of psychological defense. And this list can go on and on. In general, objective differences in the definition of any scientific concept related to the fact that the content of a concept largely depends on the direction scientific school in which the researcher works.
Therefore, here, as in Krylov's fable:
When there is no agreement among comrades,
Their business will not go well,
And nothing will come out of it, only flour.
It is the same with the degree of correlation of psychological defenses with each other (each offers his own), and even with their clear definitions.
Psychological protection
From all of the above, it becomes clear that a person who decides to write on the topic of psychological defenses will certainly face a difficulty and at a crossroads “material is a dime a dozen, but which one to give preference to? ..” After all, even writing a definition is in doubt (only in domestic sources IN AND. Zhurbin singled out more than a dozen of its variants).
However, I did not hesitate and turned my attention to a book called "Handbook practical psychologist» I.G. Malkin-Pykh. To this I added some materials from the Internet and given material I present to your attention.
Psychological defense is a special regulatory system for stabilizing the personality, aimed at eliminating or minimizing the feeling of anxiety associated with the awareness of the conflict.
Or like this (sounds easier to understand):
Defense mechanisms are ways of organizing the TEMPORARY peace of mind necessary to deal with the difficulties of life.
Everyone has their own individual set of "favorite" psychological defenses.
And here there are at least four factors that influence our preference in their choice. Here they are:
1. temperament,
2. the nature of the stresses experienced in early childhood,
3. examples of psychological defenses of parents or other significant figures,
4. experienced path from the experienced consequences of the use of certain psychological defenses.
There is no generally accepted classification of psychological defenses. Here, as in all other issues, there are continuous disagreements regarding this topic. But if we turn to modern psychological literature, then the following divisions can be found:
1. primary and secondary,
2. primitive and developed,
3. less conscious and more conscious,
4. adaptive and non-adaptive.
resistance psychological defense psychoanalysis freud
Primary psychological defenses
Primary psychological defense is an immature, primitive, "lower order" psychological defense that deals with the boundary between one's own "I" and outside world. have the right to be called primary psychological defense, defense must certainly have two qualities associated with the preverbal (preverbal) stage of development:
1. insufficient connection with the reality principle,
2. insufficient consideration of the separation and constancy of objects that are outside their own "I".
Primary psychological defenses include:
1. primitive isolation (sometimes just isolation),
2. denial,
3. omnipotent control,
4. primitive idealization and devaluation,
5. projective and introjective identification.
Bibliography
Zhmurov V.A. Big Encyclopedia in Psychiatry, 2nd ed., 2012
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People, they are like "hedgehogs" - they also prick and snort, protecting themselves ...
Maria, 27 years old
There are always "two forces" in a person. On the one hand, the desire to solve one's psychological problem (even if it is not realized, nevertheless, the soul strives to solve it). And on the other hand, resistance to this solution to the problem (or resistance to psycho-correctional or psychotherapeutic assistance). The fact is that any solution to a problem is often accompanied by unpleasant or even painful emotional sensations. When a psychologist begins to help a person, he is forced to go deep into the soul. The soul hurts, but psychology has not yet come up with a simple and effective pain relief for the soul. On the initial stage the work of a psychologist causes the client unpleasant emotions, traumatic memories, affects, feelings and impulses that were previously hidden in the unconscious, but in connection with psychological work begin to emerge in consciousness. Therefore, going to a psychologist for help is a courageous step. To make it unusual, painful, scary and often financially expensive. Only after a few sessions does the client experience an incomparable feeling of spiritual lightness, joy and comfort. This state is so delightful that those who have experienced it cease to be "afraid" to go to a psychologist.
Psychological assistance is always the work of two parties - the psychologist and the client. Miracles at a glance magic wand does not exist in psychology. Therefore, the client requires no less work on his problem than the psychologist. Only this work is different - attentiveness, competence, determination and work efficiency are required from the psychologist, and sincerity, diligence and accuracy of performance are required from the client. psychological techniques and instructions for independent work. WITHOUT THE WORK OF THE CLIENT THERE WILL BE NO RESULT FROM THE WORK OF THE PSYCHOLOGIST! True, the client does not require knowledge and skills, but only cooperation. But without this "miracle" will not happen even for the most "great" specialist. FORCING a client to change is impossible. It is only possible TOGETHER TO ACHIEVE POSITIVE CHANGES. The first difficulty on the way to liberation from the problem is overcoming the psychological resistances and defenses of the client (in his own interests). AT in general terms, psychological resistances and defenses are forces in the client's psyche that oppose the help of a psychologist and the solution of the client's psychological problems. In fact, the client is trying to avoid emotional pain because the pain will be "here and now", and the result of helping and solving the problem is "it is not known when and then." A client who has overcome pain and fear in his soul receives a well-deserved reward: he begins to respect himself and takes the first step towards the joy of life.
So, psychological protection protects any person from psychological pain. The cause of the pain may be in the past, for example, trauma, hard memories, bitterness of loss. The reason may lie in the present: the immediate situation outside and the actual processes inside the human psyche. The reason may be related to the future, for example, expectations of the bad, hypothetical fears, worries about possible events and consequences. Nature created these defenses for quick psychological self-help (approximately as a response to physical pain, disease or injury in the body). However, psychological defenses ONLY PROTECT, BUT DO NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM AND DO NOT GIVE HELP, THEY HELP YOU KEEP UP UNTIL HELP COME. If you leave protection to a person, but do not give help for a long time, then he becomes strange, inadequate, notorious, etc. Because the defenses have fulfilled their function: they protected from psychological pain in a difficult situation, but they did not create psychological comfort and they are not suitable for life in a prosperous situation. It's the same as going everywhere "in armor": to work, to rest, to friends, and to sleep in armor, and eat in armor, and take a shower in armor, etc. It is uncomfortable for oneself, it is strange for others, it enslaves and makes one not free. AND MOST IMPORTANTLY: IT DOES NOT CHANGE YOUR LIFE FOR THE BETTER. YOU JUST HAVE ADJUSTED.
Typical cases, after which psychological defenses and resistances appear.
1. Past psychological trauma (for example, severe stress).
2. Unpleasant memories (for example, grief from loss).
3. Fear of any failure (fear of possible failure).
4. Fear of any change (inflexibility to adapt to the new).
5. The desire to satisfy their children's needs (psychological infantilism in adults).
6. Secondary psychological benefit from one's illness or condition (despite the obvious harm).
7. Too strict "hard" consciousness, when it punishes a person with incessant suffering for real and imaginary offenses (as a rule, the result of education).
8. Unwillingness to change a "convenient" social position to an "uncomfortable" one - to be active, work on oneself, be sexy, be socially adaptive, earn more, change partners, and so on.
9. Enhanced Level psychological sensitivity, anxiety and neuroticism (may be a consequence of weak type nervous system).
In these and many other cases, a person becomes acutely sensitive to psychological pain and builds clever defenses to avoid psychological pain. It just doesn't solve the problem. A person lives "in armor", often in grief for himself and for the amusement of others. A good psychologist helps to remove these “armours” of psychological defenses as quickly and safely as possible. The ultimate goal is to learn to live and enjoy free life without "lat", but to maintain their security.
What are the consequences of psychological defenses if the psychological problem is not solved?
1. First, the adaptability of behavior is lost, i.e. the person behaves inappropriately to the situation. Communicates worse. Limits his lifestyle or he becomes very specific, strange.
2. Further disadaptation increases. Psychosomatic illnesses (diseases caused by emotional trauma) may occur. Increases internal tension, anxiety. The "script" of life begins to obey psychological protection from mental pain: a certain type of hobby, hobbies, profession.
3. Lifestyle becomes a form of "painless self-psychotherapy". A protective lifestyle becomes extremely important for a person. Thus, there is a constant denial of problems and aggravation of maladaptation and psychosomatic diseases.
What are psychological defenses?
1. Sewerage of aggression on other people (in verbal (verbal) or behavioral form). Throwing off aggression on other people can be not only a "bad habit" and "pedagogical neglect" in an adult, but also, paradoxically, testify to hidden insecurity and a hidden sense of guilt.
2. Repression - pushing painful memories and feelings out of consciousness, impulses deep into the unconscious. A person simply "forgot", "did not have time", "did not do it". So sometimes some raped women sincerely “forget” about this incident after a few years.
3. Denial - deliberate ignoring of painful realities and such behavior as if they do not exist: "didn't notice", "didn't hear", "didn't see", "not urgent", "I'll put it off for later", etc. A person ignores the obvious reality and composes for himself an imaginary reality in which troubles do not exist. For example, the main character of the novel "Gone with the Wind" Scarlett said to herself: "I'll think about it tomorrow."
4. Formation of opposite reactions - exaggeration of one emotional aspect of the situation in order to suppress the opposite emotion with its help. For example, to be extremely punctual, but in fact the desire to be free over time. This happens, for example, with obsessive-compulsive disorder (obsessive-compulsive neurosis).
5. Transfer (transfer, movement) - a change in the object of feelings (transfer from a real, but subjectively dangerous object to a subjectively safe one). The aggressive reaction to the strong (for example, to the boss) is transferred from the strong, who cannot be punished, to the weak (for example, to a woman, child, dog, etc.). (The Japanese used this psychic protection in the invention of puppets to fight, replacing the boss). It is possible to transfer not only aggression, but also sexual attraction or even both sexual attraction and aggression. Typical example- the transfer of sexual attraction and aggression to the psychotherapist, instead of expressing these emotions to the real object that caused these feelings.
6. Reverse feeling - a change in impulse, its transformation from active to passive (and vice versa) - or a change in its direction (to oneself from another, or to another from oneself), for example, sadism - can turn into masochism, or masochism - into sadism.
7. Suppression (for example, with fears and phobias) - limiting thoughts or actions in order to avoid those that can cause anxiety, fears. This psychic protection gives rise to various personal rituals (an amulet for an exam, certain clothes for self-confidence, etc.).
8. Imitation (identification with the aggressor) - imitation of what is understood as an aggressive manner of external authority. Criticism by children of their parents in their own aggressive manner. Imitating the behavior of your boss at home with your family.
9. Asceticism - denying oneself pleasures with the appearance of one's own superiority.
10. Rationalization, (intellectualization) - excessive reasoning as a way of experiencing conflicts, a long discussion (without experiencing the affect associated with the conflict), a "rational" explanation of the causes of what happened, in fact, having nothing to do with a rational explanation.
11. Isolation of affect - almost complete suppression of feelings associated with a particular thought.
12. Regression - psychological return to an early age (crying, helplessness, smoking, alcohol and other infantile reactions)
13. Sublimation - the transfer of one type of psychic energy into another: sex - into creativity; aggression - in political activity.
14. Splitting - inadequate separation of positive and negative in assessments of oneself and others, inner world and external situation. Often there is a sharp change of "+" and "-" assessments of oneself and others, assessments become unrealistic and unsteady. Often they are opposite, but exist in parallel. "On the one hand, of course... but on the other hand, no doubt..."
15. Devaluation - reducing the important to a minimum and contemptuous denial of it. For example, the denial of love.
16. Primitive idealization - exaggeration of the power and prestige of another person. This is how idols are created.
17. Omnipotence - an exaggeration of one's own strength. Bragging about your connections, influential acquaintances, etc.
18. Projection - endowing one's own psychological features another person. Attribution to another own desires, emotions, etc. For example: "Now anyone is ready to go over corpses for money and power!"
19. Projective identification - a projection onto another, over which the person then tries to establish control. For example, projecting one's hostility onto others and expecting the same from them.
20. Repression - suppression of desires (one's own or others').
21. Escapism - avoiding a painful situation. This can be expressed literally, i.e. Behaviorally, a person can physically run away from the situation (from communication, from a meeting), and can indirectly avoid certain topics of conversation.
22. Autism - deep withdrawal into oneself (exit from the "game of life").
23. Reactive formation - the replacement of behavior or feelings with the opposite behavior or feeling as a reaction to severe stress.
24. Introjection - uncritical assimilation of other people's beliefs and attitudes.
25. Fanaticism is an imaginary fusion of the desired and the real.
This is not a complete list of all psychological defenses, but these are the most striking and common reactions. In any case, these reactions do not free a person from a psychological problem, but only temporarily protect, give the opportunity to "psychologically survive" in a critical situation. If you have discovered these psychological defenses in yourself, your relatives or acquaintances, there is reason to think about how constructive the behavior is. this person. It is quite possible that, having put on the "armor" of psychological defenses, he deprives himself peace of mind and the joys of life. Most likely, attention, care and competence a good psychologist can help this person achieve the fulfillment of his innermost desires.
