Defense Mechanisms Against Anxiety

Defense mechanism is the strategies the ego use to defend itself against the anxiety provoked by conflicts of everyday life. Freud believed that defenses must, to some extent, always be in operation. These mechanisms deny or distort reality and operate unconsciously. Freud postulated several defense mechanisms and noted two characteristics: 1. They are denials or distortions of reality- necessary ones, but distortions nonetheless. 2. They operate unconsciously, wee are unaware of them, which means that on the conscious level we hold distorted or unreal images of our world and ourselves. Freudian defense mechanism: Repression: Involves unconscious denial of the existence of something that causes anxiety. It is an involuntary removal of something from the conscious awareness. Denial: Involves denying the existence of an external threat or traumatic event. It is related to repression and involves denying the existence of some external threat or traumatic event that has occurred. Reaction Formation: One defense against a disturbing impulse is to actively express the opposite impulse, which is called reaction formation. It involves expressing an id impulse that is the opposite of the one truly driving the person. Projection: Another way of defending against disturbing impulses is to attribute them to someone else. This is called projection. It involves attributing a disturbing impulse to someone else. Regression: Regression is the defense mechanism where a person retreats or regresses to an earlier period of life that is pleasant and free of frustration and anxiety. It involves retreating to an earlier, less frustrating period of life and displaying the childish and dependent behaviors characteristic of that more secure time. Rationalization: Rationalization is a defense mechanism that involves reinterpreting our behavior to make it seem more rational and acceptable to us. It involves reinterpreting behavior to make it more acceptable and less threatening. Displacement: Involves shifting id impulse from a threatening or unavailable object to a substitute object that is available. If an object that satisfies an id impulse is not available, the person may shift the impulse to another object. This is displacement. Sublimation: Involves altering or displacing id impulses by diverting instinctual energy into socially acceptable behavior.