Freud's Defense Mechanisms

Freud's Defense Mechanisms Defense mechanism, as highlighted by Spielman, Jenkins and Lovett (2020), refers to the unconscious psychological operation responsible for protecting a person from thoughts that produce anxiety and negative feelings associated with outer stressors and internal conflicts.

These mechanisms contribute to healthy and unhealthy outcomes depending on the triggers and frequency with which they occur.

Buy this excellently written paper or order a fresh one from acemyhomework.com

Healthy persons use various types of defense mechanisms in their lives. These defenses provide individuals with refuge from situations they cannot cope. However, the defense mechanisms may become pathological if used persistently leading to maladaptive behavior that affects the mental and physical health of a person (Spielman, Jenkins & Lovett, 2020). This discussion highlights the defense mechanisms and provides situations where they occur.

List and definition of defense mechanisms Freud categorized the defense mechanisms into twelve groups. These groups include compensation, denial, displacement, identification, projection, introjection, rationalization, reaction formation, repression, regression, sublimation and undoing. Compensation occurs when people negatively perceive something they do not like. A person may engage in certain activities to compensate for what he/she perceives negatively. Denial refers to the act of rejecting concepts that an individual knows is true (Spielman, Jenkins & Lovett, 2020).

Displacement describes the process of letting out frustrations and negative feelings on substitute targets that are not related to the causative factors. Identification is defined as the process of associating with an image that suits the ideal ego of a person. Introjection describes the process of accepting standards to be true and avert scrutiny whereas projection occurs when people attribute certain negative feelings onto others (Spielman, Jenkins & Lovett, 2020).

Reaction formation refers to the process of masking negative emotions and self-concepts by acting contrary to what the emotion or concept exhibits. Rationalization, on the other hand, is the explanation people conceive for feeling in a particular way. It is also described as taking credit for certain behaviors (Spielman, Jenkins & Lovett, 2020). Regression describes the act of retreating to situations that make a person feel less threatened. Repression is a defense

mechanism that occurs unconsciously when the mind pushes out of conscious awareness the concepts and ideas it perceive as threatening.

Ritual an undoing refers to the processes in which an individual attempts to undo certain types of unacceptable behaviors by masking them with positive rituals and behaviors (Spielman, Jenkins & Lovett, 2020). Sublimation is the positive defense mechanism which involves taking negative self-concepts and diverting them into beneficial and more socially acceptable concepts.

Defense mechanisms I have applied The two defense mechanisms that I have used in the past are compensation and sublimation. During my early teenage years I was frequently mocked that I did not have the physical strength to fight of bullies and defend myself. To mask this negative perception of self, I studied consistently to succeed in academic activities and be perceived as intelligent. I believed that intelligence would compensate for the lack of physical strength.

Sublimation in my life is demonstrated by the use of positive aspects of social interaction to avert bullying. Due to a lack of physical strength, I was frequently harassed by other strong children. Instead of living in denial, I use this experience to help other children to identify, prevent and report bullying incidences.

Conclusion Freud proposed twelve types of defense mechanisms used by human beings to compensate for their emotions. The defense mechanisms occur unconsciously and help people to overcome thoughts that lead to fear and anxiety.

References Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020). Psychology 2e. OpenStax.