2024 Author: Harry Day | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 15:43
Psychological protection - it is a stable way of behavior or reaction of a person, which allows you to reduce anxiety in connection with events taking place in his life.
In the life of every person, situations periodically arise that cause unpleasant experiences. Some of them a person cannot change - at all or in the near future. Then psychological defenses come to the rescue, which help transform the feelings that arise with the help of certain mechanisms developed in the course of past experience.
There is undoubted benefit in psychological defenses - they help a person regain a state of comfort and self-esteem without transforming the situation. And, along with this, it is this property of theirs that prevents a person from changing in his life what he can really change. Psychological protection is always a distortion of reality, self-deception, which prevents a person from realizing what is really happening to him. They are designed for a momentary effect and do not take into account the real context, as well as the prospects for the further development of the situation.
As a rule, a person masters a certain set of psychological defenses, which becomes familiar to him. This is influenced by factors such as:
congenital temperament, example of parents, stress in early childhood and the decisions that the child made in coping with the situation.
The opposite of psychological defenses is coping behavior, which is based on a realistic perception of oneself and the situation. And, also, in action, based on the goal and perspective. When faced with a problem situation, a person does not seek to avoid stress, he looks for ways to cope with the situation or compensate for the damage received.
In this article we will look at some of the psychological defenses, as well as the sources of their formation.
Insulation … In essence, this is an escape from reality. The person blocks unpleasant emotions. Some traumatic event happens, and the person "feels nothing." In order not to feel, a person "runs away" into sleep, his own inner world, alcohol, food, etc., that is, he ceases to contact reality. This is one of the main defense mechanisms in the schizoid personality type.
Negation … It manifests itself in relation to external circumstances or when evaluating oneself. In the case of external events, it is a refusal to acknowledge the existence of trouble. For example, a husband systematically beats his wife, but every time it seems to her that this is an accident and she refuses to admit that he is dangerous. The use of this protection is characteristic of people with the belief that "everything is for the best" and "I should always be fine".
On the inner plane, denial manifests itself as ignoring information that is incompatible with the prevailing idea of oneself. Some personality traits are obvious to others, but she herself is not recognized. For example, an alcoholic sincerely believes that he has no problems with strong drinks and that he is in control of the situation. It is often characteristic of the hysterical personality type.
Primitive idealization … A person idealizes another person in order to feel safe from identifying with her. It comes from a childish illusion that the one to whom the child is attached is omnipotent. In essence, this is giving another person the role of the Ideal Parent. Merging with such a perfect figure allows you not to look at your imperfection. Inherent in borderline and narcissistic personalities.
Depreciation … The inevitable result of the previous psychological defense. Sooner or later, a person begins to notice that the person he idealizes is not at all as perfect as he imagined and experiences disappointment. As a result, he begins to deny all the good that is in this personality and looks for a new object for idealization. This mechanism is also characteristic of borderline and narcissistic personality types.
Almighty Control - A small child truly believes that he has the power to influence the world. He willingly takes responsibility for what happens in the family, considering himself the cause of parents' quarrels, for example. In adulthood, a person may retain the habit of interpreting events as a consequence of their thoughts or behavior, without considering other important factors. This psychological defense gives the illusion of a person's exclusivity, the ability to do what is forbidden to others: to manipulate, to break the law, to go over their heads. This mechanism is common in narcissists and psychopaths.
Projection … Seeing in other people is something that is not recognized in oneself. It is difficult for a person to appropriate some of his own thoughts, feelings or behavior. And he sees it in others, but does not see it in himself. For example, a person who claims to be rejected by everyone is more likely to overlook exactly how they reject others. With this mechanism, what is happening inside is perceived as coming from outside. One of the most common projection options is prejudice, when their qualities are projected directly onto a group of people, nation or gender. It is characteristic of almost everyone, especially the narcissistic and paranoid personality types.
Introjection … What happens outside is perceived as internal. The appropriation of other people's thoughts without criticism, literally "swallowing". In childhood, the child accepted the opinions and feelings of significant people as his own, in order to get closer, to feel community. If this mechanism is fixed, it is common for a person to merge with others, not really understanding what he is like, what is important to him. Such people are characterized by suggestibility, the appropriation of other people's thoughts without critical assessment. And, as a result, life by someone else's rules. The most striking manifestations of the mechanism of introjection are the obligations: "I must", "I can", "I cannot", which can turn into unrealistic demands for oneself and other people. This mechanism is quite common, especially in borderline individuals.
Rationalization … A pseudo-reasonable explanation of his actions, which confirms that a person is logical in his actions and is in control of the situation. The declared action motive is not genuine; it contributes to the maintenance of self-esteem and the illusion of awareness. So, a person can look for reasonable arguments to explain their socially unapproved actions. For example, a parent who beats his child in a fit of anger may explain this as a necessary educational measure used for good purposes. Often inherent in the paranoid personality type.
Retroflexion … Action and feelings towards ourselves that we actually feel towards another person. This mechanism is formed when it is unsafe to express negative emotions to another. For example, parents categorically forbid the child to get angry, interrupting or punishing negative emotions. Or, they react with rejection and resentment, and the child understands that by expressing anger, he risks losing the love of adults. Then he directs all his anger at himself, turning aggression into auto-aggression. In vivid forms, this can manifest itself as banging the head against something hard, scratching at the skin, or pulling out hair. In less manifested - "accidental" injuries, nail biting.
In adulthood, a person habitually blames himself for what happened, punishes himself. At this moment, the personality is split into two aspects: the one who acts and the one who receives the action. From people using retroflection you can often hear something like "you have to force yourself …". They also tend to criticize and condemn themselves for some actions, to conduct derogatory dialogues with themselves.
Self-punishment can also manifest itself in unconscious inattention, when a person "does not notice" the danger and is injured.
Another manifestation of retroflection is actions, in relation to another, that we would like to receive ourselves. The wife asks her husband, “Darling, do you want to go to the movies?” Instead of directly saying that she would like to go see a movie. The care that one partner shows to another on his own initiative is a quiet plea for what he would like to receive on his own.
To be continued…
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