Anna Freud She was a very important psychologist and researcher in the middle of the last century. Her theory of the mind and psychoanalysis was greatly influenced by her father: Sigmund Freud. However, her contributions to psychology redefined some very important concepts, among these concepts we highlight ego defense mechanisms.
Known as “the barriers to facing reality“Defense mechanisms are the strategies that our subconscious has to avoid resolving conflicts in our daily lives and not facing the effort that this entails. Do you want to know more about the theory of Anna Freud’s defense mechanisms? Then we recommend that you continue reading this interesting article from Psychology-Online.
What are personality defense mechanisms?
Before delving into the defense mechanisms, it is important to put the moment and the theories that were on the rise in context: the principles of psychoanalysis. Not in vain, Anna’s father, , is in turn the father of the psychoanalytic school.
This current is famous for defining the concepts of the conscious and unconscious mind, according to Freud’s iceberg theory, the conscious mind contains all our thoughts and lucid perceptions while the unconscious It is the submerged part of our mind, where repressed thoughts and less rational impulses are found. Another well-known theory of Sigmund Freud is known as “” in which he defines three strata of the individual:
- He It It is defined as the expression of our impulses and desires
- He I is the mediator, tries to enjoy and satisfy the needs of the It but without breaking the rules of the superego
- He superego It is the set of moral values and beliefs in which we project the best version of ourselves.
Anna Freud yesHe based himself on psychoanalytic theories to formulate his own principles in psychology and make his own contributions. According to the, the I It is defined as a space in which we observe everything that happens in the It and the Superego.
Definition of the ego defense mechanisms
Now that you know how the immune system works, it is time to define the defense mechanisms. As we revealed at the beginning of this article, these mechanisms are a set of unconscious reactions that protect us from conflicts between It and the Superego. They are part of the so-called basic adjustment techniques, these techniques seek psychological balance and mediate between the environment and our mental processes.
To understand us bettera defense mechanism such as denial You can act as follows:
- An alcoholic who denies his addiction and says drinking alcohol has no negative impact on your health – The Id feels a strong need to drink alcohol and in order not to confront the Superego, it denies the negative impact of addiction.
The main defense mechanisms: 10 examples
Next, we are going to present a list of the main defense mechanisms and their examples in daily life:
1. Repression
Process by which an unacceptable impulse or idea becomes unconscious. The individual rejects ideas, thoughts and memories to keep them in the unconscious.
- Example: A child experiences a traumatic memory in childhood and represses it so that, as the years go by, he or she comes to forget it and thus avoids facing that experience.
2. Regression
A return to earlier forms of psychic functioning, regression can be understood within the framework of evolutionary psychology as a step back in development.
- Example: an adult who does not want to and begins to behave like a teenager (going out to parties, drinking alcohol excessively, having immature sexual behavior…)
3. Reactive training
It is defined as the process by which an unacceptable impulse or desire is controlled by the exaggeration of the opposite tendency.
- Example: Instead of telling your partner that you have done something bad for the relationship, you shower them with surprises and gifts so as not to face reality.
4. Retroactive cancellation
This defense mechanism is understood as the process by which the person behaves as if a previous idea or action that is threatening had not taken place. (similar to denial and repression)
5. Introjection
Process by which the person places inside himself what is actually outside. In this defense mechanism, external threats are internalized with the aim of trying to control their effect on our mental stability.
- Example: By introjecting a person (and thus believing that we have control over their actions) it reduces the anxiety caused by their distance.
6. Projection
This self-defense mechanism is known as the process by which the person places feelings, desires or own characteristics outside of themselves, in another person or thing. In this way, avoid changing that element of her behavior and/or personality.
- Example: A person who feels insecure about their body can project that insecurity by reproaching that same feeling on that person. “You are too insecure!” – When in reality the insecure person is not the one indicated but he or she.
7. Sublimation
Process by which an instinct (with a sexual or aggressive component) is derived towards a different goal. When an individual sublimates an instinct, it replaces her motivation and redirects her towards a more socially accepted activity.
- Example: A person is carrying out sublimation when he replaces his sexual drive with some cultural or intellectual activity (creating art, reading, writing…)
8. Isolation
Process by which the person isolates a thought or eventthus breaking its connections with the rest of its experiences and, therefore, preventing it from being part of its meaningful experience.
9. Displacement
We define displacement as the self-defense mechanism by which the unconscious mind redirects the emotions that a circumstance produces in us towards another object, person or situation.
- Example: when a child is attacked at school and displaces his anger by attacking other children at school.
10. Turning against oneself and transformation into its opposite
They start from the idea that instincts are capable of undergoing a transformation. (sadism-masochism, voyeurism-exhibitionism). This defense mechanism can be observed in cases such as
How to work defense mechanisms?
As we can see, the defense mechanisms They are not adaptive psychological techniques For our mental health, this is because the problem is not solved, rather it is pushed aside or blocked so that the conflict remains unresolved.
In order to resolve a conflict and reduce psychological consequences After a stressful or negative event, we can promote and work on the following aspects:
- Development of the social skills
- Promotion of
- Coping therapy
- Improvement of the coping strategies
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to Defense mechanisms: Anna Freudwe recommend that you enter our category.
Bibliography
- Freud, A., & Carcamo, C.E. (1961). The self and defense mechanisms (Vol. 3). Barcelona: Paidós.