Psychological protection works on an unconscious or subconscious level, and often a person cannot control his defense mechanisms of the psyche if he knows nothing about them. (Lifestyle index - test)

Psychological protection and the destructive action of the protective mechanisms of the human psyche

The human psyche has the ability to protect itself from adverse influences, whether external or internal factors. Psychological defense mechanisms work in one way or another for everyone. They perform the function of a guardian of our mental health, our "I" from the effects of stress, failure, increased anxiety; from unpleasant, destructive thoughts, from external and internal conflicts that cause negative well-being.
(overcoming psychological defense)

In addition to the protective function psychological protection of a person can also have a destructive effect on the personality, it can prevent the personality from growing and developing, achieving success in life.

This occurs when the repetition of a certain defense mechanism of the psyche in similar life situations, but some situations, although similar to the one that initially caused protection, still do not need it, because. a person is able to consciously solve this problem.

Also, psychological defense becomes destructive for the individual in cases where a person uses several defenses at once.

A person who often uses defense mechanisms (let me remind you: this happens unconsciously) is doomed to the status of a “loser” in his life.

Psychological defenses of the individual not congenital, they are acquired during the socialization of the child, and the main source of development of certain defenses, as well as their use in life (for their intended purpose or destructive) are parents or persons replacing them. In short, the use of psychological defense by children depends on how and what kind of defense the parents use.

Psychological defenses have the closest connection with character accentuations, and the more pronounced the accentuation is, the more pronounced the protective mechanisms of the human psyche are.

Knowing the accentuation of character, their individual-personal psycho-physiological characteristics (personality theory), a person will be able to learn how to manage their psychological defenses and accentuations of character, (Program of psycho-correction of character) to achieve success in life, i.e. go from losers to winners. (Personality Theory 2)

Mechanisms of psychological defense of a person

The first to introduce the concept of "psychological defense" was Sigmund Freud, this is "repression" and "sublimation".

These are such protective mechanisms of the psyche as: Repression, suppression, sublimation, intellectualization, rationalization, denial, projection, substitution, identification with the aggressor, regression, compensation and hypercompensation, reactive formation, reverse feeling and their components.

MECHANISMS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL PROTECTION AND INDIVIDUAL-PERSONAL FEATURES:

PSYCHOLOGICAL PROTECTION - NEGATION - the earliest ontogenetically and the most primitive defense mechanism. Denial develops in order to contain the emotion of acceptance of others if they demonstrate emotional indifference or rejection.

This, in turn, can lead to self-loathing. Denial implies an infantile substitution of acceptance by others for attention on their part, and any negative aspects of this attention are blocked at the stage of perception, and positive ones are allowed into the system. As a result, the individual gets the opportunity to painlessly express feelings of acceptance of the world and himself, but for this he must constantly attract the attention of others in ways available to him.

Features of protective behavior in the norm: egocentrism, suggestibility and self-hypnosis, sociability, desire to be in the center of attention, optimism, ease, friendliness, ability to inspire confidence, confident demeanor, thirst for recognition, arrogance, boasting, self-pity, courtesy, willingness to serve, affective demeanor, pathos, easy tolerance of criticism and lack of self-criticism.

Other features include pronounced artistic and artistic abilities, a rich imagination, a penchant for practical jokes.

Preferred jobs in the arts and service industries.

Possible deviations (deviations) of behavior: deceit, a tendency to simulate, thoughtlessness of actions, underdevelopment of the ethical complex, a tendency to fraud, exhibitionism, demonstrative attempts at suicide and self-harm.

Diagnostic concept: hysteria.

Possible psychosomatic diseases (according to F. Alexander): conversion-hysterical reactions, paralysis, hyperkinesia, dysfunction of analyzers, endocrine disorders.

Type of group role (according to G. Kellerman): "the role of a romantic."

THE MECHANISM OF PSYCHOLOGICAL PROTECTION _ SUPPRESSION - develops to contain the emotion of fear, the manifestations of which are unacceptable for positive self-perception and threaten to fall into direct dependence on the aggressor. Fear is blocked by forgetting the real stimulus, as well as all objects, facts and circumstances associated with it.

The suppression cluster includes mechanisms close to it: ISOLATION AND INTROJECTION. Isolation is subdivided by some authors into DISTANCE, DEREALIZATION and DEPERSANOLIZATION, which can be expressed by the formulas: “it was somewhere far and long ago, as if not in reality, as if not with me”.

In other sources, the same terms are used to refer to pathological disorders of perception.

Features of protective behavior are normal: careful avoidance of situations that can become problematic and cause fear (for example, flying on an airplane, public speaking, etc.), inability to defend one's position in a dispute, conciliation, humility, timidity, forgetfulness, fear of new acquaintances, pronounced tendencies to avoid and submit are rationalized, and anxiety is overcompensated in the form of unnaturally calm, slow behavior, deliberate equanimity, etc.

Character accentuation: anxiety (according to K. Leonhard), conformity (according to P.B. Gannushkin).

Possible behavioral deviations: hypochondria, irrational conformism, sometimes extreme conservatism.

Possible psychosomatic diseases (according to E. Bern): fainting, heartburn, loss of appetite, duodenal ulcer.

Diagnostic concept: passive diagnosis (according to R. Plutchik).

Type of group role: "the role of the innocent."

a defense mechanism - REGRESSION - develops in early childhood to contain feelings of self-doubt and fear of failure associated with taking the initiative. Regression implies a return in an exclusive situation to more ontogenetically immature patterns of behavior and satisfaction.

Regressive behavior, as a rule, is encouraged by adults who have an attitude towards emotional symbiosis and infantilization of the child.

The regression cluster also includes the MOTOR ACTIVITY mechanism, which involves involuntary irrelevant actions to relieve stress.

Features of defensive behavior are normal: weakness of character, lack of deep interests, susceptibility to the influence of others, suggestibility, inability to complete the work begun, slight mood swings, tearfulness, increased drowsiness and immoderate appetite in an exclusive situation, manipulation of small objects, involuntary actions (rubbing hands, twisting buttons, etc.), specific “childish” facial expressions and speech, a tendency to mysticism and superstition, heightened nostalgia, intolerance to loneliness, the need for stimulation, control, encouragement, consolation, the search for new experiences, the ability to easily establish superficial contacts, impulsiveness .

Accentuation of character (according to P.B. Gannushkin): instability.

Possible behavioral deviations: infantilism, parasitism, conformism in antisocial groups, alcohol and drug use.

Diagnostic concept: unstable psychopathy.

Possible psychosomatic illnesses: No data available.

Group role type:"the role of the child".

The defense mechanism of the psyche - COMPENSATION- ontogenetically the latest and cognitively complex protective mechanism, which is developed and used, as a rule, consciously. Designed to contain feelings of sadness, grief over a real or imaginary loss, loss, lack, lack, inferiority.

Compensation involves an attempt to correct or find a substitute for this inferiority.

The compensation cluster includes the following mechanisms: OVERCOMPENSATION, IDENTIFICATION, and FANTASY, which can be understood as compensation at the ideal level.

Features of protective behavior in the norm: behavior caused by the installation of serious and methodical work on oneself, finding and correcting one's shortcomings, overcoming difficulties, achieving high results in activities, serious sports, collecting, striving for originality, a penchant for memories, literary creativity.

Accentuation of character: distimism.

Possible deviations: aggressiveness, drug addiction, alcoholism, sexual deviations, promiscuity, kleptomania, vagrancy, insolence, arrogance, ambition.

Diagnostic concept: depression.

Possible psychosomatic diseases: anorexia nervosa, sleep disturbance, headaches, atherosclerosis.

Type of group role: "role of unifying".

Psychological protection - PROJECTION- develops relatively early in ontogenesis to contain the feeling of rejection of oneself and others as a result of emotional rejection on their part. Projection involves attributing various negative qualities to others, such as rational basis for their rejection and self-acceptance against this background.

Features of protective behavior are normal: pride, pride, selfishness, vindictiveness, vindictiveness, resentment, vulnerability, a heightened sense of injustice, arrogance, ambition, suspicion, jealousy, hostility, stubbornness, intractability, intolerance to objections, a tendency to incriminate others, the search for shortcomings, isolation, pessimism, hypersensitivity to criticism and comments, exactingness to oneself and others, the desire to achieve high performance in any kind of activity.

Possible deviations of behavior: behavior determined by overvalued or delusional ideas of jealousy, injustice, persecution, invention, own inferiority or grandiosity. On this basis, manifestations of hostility are possible, reaching the point of violent acts and murders. Less common are the sadistic-masochistic complex and the hypochondriacal symptom complex, the latter on the basis of distrust of medicine and doctors.

Diagnostic concept: paranoia.

Possible psychosomatic diseases: hypertonic disease, arthritis, migraine, diabetes, hyperthyroidism.

Group role type: reviewer role.

mental protection - SUBSTITUTION- develops to contain the emotion of anger at a stronger, older or more significant subject acting as a frustrator, in order to avoid retaliatory aggression or rejection. The individual relieves tension by turning anger and aggression on a weaker animate or inanimate object or on himself.

Therefore, substitution has both active and passive forms and can be used by individuals regardless of their type of conflict response and social adaptation.

Features of protective behavior are normal: impulsiveness, irritability, exactingness towards others, rudeness, irascibility, protest reactions in response to criticism, uncharacteristic feelings of guilt, passion for “combat” sports (boxing, wrestling, hockey, etc.), preference for movies with scenes of violence (action movies, horror films, etc.), commitment to any activity associated with risk, a pronounced tendency to dominance is sometimes combined with sentimentality, a tendency to engage in physical labor.

Possible behavioral deviations: aggressiveness, uncontrollability, a tendency to destructive and violent actions, cruelty, immorality, vagrancy, promiscuity, prostitution, often chronic alcoholism, self-harm and suicide.

Diagnostic concept: epileptoidness (according to P.B. Gannushkin), excitable psychopathy (according to N.M. Zharikov), aggressive diagnosis (according to R. Plutchik).

Possible psychosomatic diseases: hypertension, arthritis, migraine, diabetes, hyperthyroidism, gastric ulcer (according to E. Bern).

Type of group role: "the role of the looking for a scapegoat."

Psychological defense mechanism - INTELLECTUALIZATION- develops in early adolescence to contain the emotion of expectation or anticipation for fear of experiencing disappointment. The formation of this mechanism is usually correlated with frustrations associated with failures in competition with peers.

It involves arbitrary schematization and interpretation of events to develop a sense of subjective control over any situation. This cluster includes the following mechanisms: CANCELLATION, SUBLIMATION and RATIONALIZATION.

The latter is subdivided into actual rationalization, anticipating, for oneself and for others, post-hypnotic and projective, and has the following methods: discrediting the goal, discrediting the victim, exaggerating the role of circumstances, asserting harm for good, overestimating what is available and self-discrediting.

Features of protective behavior are normal: diligence, responsibility, conscientiousness, self-control, a tendency to analysis and introspection, thoroughness, awareness of obligations, love of order, uncharacteristic bad habits, foresight, discipline, individualism.

Accentuation of character: psychasthenia (according to P.B. Gannushkin), pedantic character.

Possible deviations of behavior: inability to make a decision, substitution of activity for "reasoning", self-deception and self-justification, pronounced detachment, cynicism, behavior caused by various phobias, ritual and other obsessive actions.

Diagnostic concept: obsession.

Possible psychosomatic diseases: pain in the region of the heart, vegetative disorders, spasms of the esophagus, polyuria, sexual disorders.

Type of group role: "the role of the philosophizer".

REACTIVE EDUCATION - a protective mechanism of the psyche, the development of which is associated with the final assimilation of "higher social values" by the individual.

Reaction formation develops to contain the joy of owning a certain object (for example, one's own body) and being able to use it in a certain way (for example, for sex and aggression).

The mechanism involves the development and emphasizing in the behavior of the opposite attitude.

Features of protective behavior are normal: the rejection of everything related to the functioning of the body and gender relations is expressed in various forms and with varying intensity, avoidance of public baths, latrines, locker rooms, etc., a sharp negative attitude towards “indecent” conversations, jokes, erotic films (as well as with scenes of violence), erotic literature, strong feelings about violations of “personal space", casual contact with other people (for example, in public transport), emphasized desire to conform to generally accepted standards of behavior, relevance, concern for "decent" appearance, politeness, courtesy, respectability, disinterestedness, sociability, as a rule, high spirits.

Of the other features: the condemnation of flirting and exhibitionism, abstinence, sometimes vegetarianism, moralizing, the desire to be an example for others.

Character accentuations: sensitivity, exaltation.

Possible behavioral deviations: pronounced inflated self-esteem, hypocrisy, hypocrisy, extreme puritanism.

Diagnostic concept: manic.

Possible psychosomatic diseases (according to F. Alexander): bronchial asthma, peptic ulcer, ulcerative colitis.

This completes the description of the defense mechanisms of the human psyche.

I wish you all mental health!

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Frequently Asked Questions to a Psychologist

These experiences may be associated with internal or external conflicts, states of anxiety or discomfort. Ultimately, the action of protective mechanisms is aimed at maintaining the stability of a person's self-esteem, his ideas about himself and the image of the world.

crowding out

This is the elimination of unacceptable desires and experiences from consciousness. This is the so-called "motivated forgetting". For example, a person who has had a negative experience with someone may not remember it at all. However, the memory of the repressed events continues to live in the unconscious and periodically breaks "out" in jokes, reservations, etc.

Projection

This is a subconscious attribution to other people of their own repressed motives, character traits and experiences. This defense mechanism is a consequence of repression. Through repression, the instincts are suppressed and driven back inside: but this does not disappear anywhere and continues to exert their influence. Eradicating your desires is too painful, so they are projected onto others. So, for example, an old maid granny will vehemently condemn the mores of today's youth. But even more severely she will treat her neighbor on the bench - the same old maid. Say, she has a bad character, so no one married and did not marry. The projection is directed at someone whose situation is similar to that of the projector. A person whose projection works is prone to dishonorable acts, although he finds this dishonesty in others, he is prone to envy, to the search for negative reasons for the success of others.

Negation

This is the desire not to accept as reality events that are undesirable for oneself: both real and long past. For example, many people are afraid of serious illnesses. A person who has a denial mechanism will not notice the presence of obvious symptoms of the disease. The mechanism of denial allows you to ignore the traumatic manifestations of reality. Denial is common in family relationships when one of the spouses completely ignores the existence of problems with a partner.

Rationalization

It is finding acceptable reasons and explanations for unacceptable thoughts or actions. Rational explanation as a defense mechanism is aimed at relieving stress when experiencing an internal conflict. The simplest example of rationalization is the exculpatory explanations of a schoolboy who received a deuce. Admitting to yourself that you yourself are to blame for not finishing your lesson is too painful for pride. Therefore, the student explains his failure by the bad mood of the teacher.

Sublimation

This is the most common defense mechanism, when we, trying to forget about the traumatic event (experience), switch to different kinds activities acceptable to us and society. A variety of sublimation can be sports, intellectual work, creativity.

Regression

This is a return to more primitive ways of emotional or behavioral response that a person had at an earlier age. For example, pout, turn away and be silent all day.

Jet formations

This behavior is exactly the opposite of what you want. A classic example is the boyish teenage "courtship" of girls, which boils down to hitting harder, pulling the pigtail, etc. This is due to the fact that in adolescence, tenderness is perceived as something shameful. Therefore, boys try to reduce their manifestation of feelings to actions, in their opinion, completely opposite to courtship.

To resolve an internal conflict, a person usually uses several defense mechanisms at once. But they all serve the same purpose: to preserve the integrity of ideas about oneself and about the world.

The human psyche is equipped with mechanisms that help us instinctively protect our own self. Using them helps to make our experience less traumatic, but at the same time reduces our chances of successfully interacting with reality. According to the author of the book "Psychology of the Self and Defense Mechanisms", the daughter of Sigmund Freud, Anna Freud, each of us uses about five such strategies daily. T&P explains why sublimation is not always associated with creativity, how projection causes us to criticize innocent people, and why auto-aggression is associated with family problems.

Denial: without acknowledging the problem

Denial is one of the simplest defense mechanisms of the psyche. This is a complete rejection of unpleasant information, which allows you to effectively fence yourself off from it. The classic example here is when you drink several glasses of wine or beer every day for a long time, but at the same time you remain confident that you can give up your habit at any time. Denial is characterized by an acute reaction to the problem statement: if someone then hints to you that you have become addicted to alcohol, this person is likely to suffer from your tantrum.

Denial is often the first reaction to the pain of loss and is the first "stage of grief" according to some experts (however, in this case it is also called the "stage of distrust"). A person who unexpectedly loses his job will say: “It can’t be!” A witness to a car accident trying to help the victims may not immediately come to terms with the fact that one of them has stopped breathing. In this case, this mechanism does not protect anyone except the person who unconsciously uses it - however, in situations where a cold mind is needed, denial of danger or one's own shock can be very useful for all participants in the events.

Projection: take out

Projection allows us to project our destructive or unacceptable thoughts, desires, traits, opinions, and motives onto other people. The goal is to protect yourself from yourself or delay the solution of the problem. For example, a person may think that a partner is critical of his earnings - while in fact there is nothing like that from the partner's side. If such a person overcomes his projection and becomes aware of the situation, he will see that the criticism comes from himself, and it is based, say, on the negative opinion of his parents, who insisted on his failure.

A negative consequence of the projection may be the desire to "fix" the object that allegedly serves as a carrier of unpleasant traits, or to get rid of it altogether. Moreover, such an external "carrier" sometimes has nothing to do with what is projected onto it. At the same time, the mechanism of projection underlies empathy - our ability to share their feelings with others, to delve deeply into what is happening not to us, and to achieve mutual understanding with others.

Autoaggression: blame yourself

Auto-aggression, or turning against oneself, is a very destructive defense mechanism. It is often characteristic of children experiencing difficult moments in relations with their parents. It can be difficult for a person to admit that his parent is being dismissive or aggressive towards him, and instead he assumes that he himself is bad. Self-blame, self-humiliation, self-harm, self-destruction through drugs or alcohol, overindulgence in the dangerous aspects of extreme sports are all results of this mechanism.

Auto-aggression occurs most often when our survival or well-being depends on the external object that caused its appearance. But, despite the many negative consequences of this process, from an emotional point of view, it can be better tolerated than aggression directed at the original target: a parent, guardian, or other important figure.

Sublimation: the basis of pop culture

Sublimation is one of the most widely used defense mechanisms of the psyche. In this case, the energy of unwanted, traumatic or negative experiences is redirected to achieve socially approved constructive goals. It is often used by people of creative professions, including famous ones. Songs about unrequited love or books about dark periods of life often become the fruits of sublimation. This is what makes them understandable - and ultimately popular.

Nevertheless, sublimation can be not only literary or "pictorial". Sadistic desires can be sublimated in the course of surgical practice, and unwanted (for example, from the point of view of religion) sexual desire can be sublimated into the creation of brilliant works of architecture (as was the case with Antonio Gaudi, who led an extremely ascetic lifestyle). Sublimation can also be part of the psychotherapeutic process, when the client splashes out his internal conflicts through creativity: he creates texts, paintings, scripts and other works that allow him to bring the personality into balance.

Regression: return to childhood

The mechanism of regression allows you to adapt to a traumatic situation of conflict, anxiety or pressure by returning to behavioral practices familiar from childhood: screaming, crying, whims, emotional requests, etc. This happens because, as a rule, we learn early that they guarantee support. and security. Demonstration of defenselessness, sickness, inferiority very often brings psychological "dividends" - after all, people, like other living beings, tend to protect the weak and small at the neurophysiological level - that is, offspring, and not only their own.

Regression allows you to throw off the burden of responsibility for what is happening: after all, in childhood, parents are responsible for a lot of things instead of us. This defense mechanism can be called very effective and quite problem-free. Difficulties arise when he works too long. The abuse of regression leads to the appearance of psychosomatic diseases, hypochondria, the lack of a successful life strategy, and the destruction of relationships with other people.

Rationalization: explanations for everything

Rationalization is the ability to carefully select suitable reasonable causes for a negative situation. The goal here is self-belief that we are not to blame, that we are good enough or significant enough and that we are not the problem. A person who was rejected for an interview may convince himself and others that he did not need such a job or the company was too "boring" - when in reality he experienced the strongest regret. “I didn’t really want to,” is a classic phrase for rationalization.

Passive behavior can be rationalized by caution, aggressive behavior by self-defense, and indifferent behavior by the desire to give others more independence. The main result of the operation of this mechanism is an imaginary restoration of a balance between the desired and real state of affairs and the degree of self-esteem. However, rationalization often does not completely remove the negative effects of the traumatic situation, so that it continues to hurt for a long time.

Intellectualization: theoretical feelings

Intellectualization allows us to neutralize anger, grief or pain by redirecting our attention to a completely foreign area. The man who was recently abandoned by his wife can do anything free time devote to the study of history ancient rome, - and this will allow him to "not think so much" about the loss. This psychological defense mechanism is based on the desire to abstract from feelings and intellectualize them, turning them into theoretical concepts.

The behavior of the intellectualizing person is often perceived as adult and mature, and this makes this form of defense socially attractive. It has another plus: intellectualization allows you to reduce dependence on your own emotions and “clear” behavior from them. Nevertheless, prolonged use of this mechanism is fraught with the destruction of emotional ties with the outside world, a decrease in the ability to understand and discuss feelings with other people.

Jet formation: fight instead of hugs

Jet formation is a kind of behavioral magic. This defense strategy allows you to turn the negative into the positive - and vice versa. We often encounter its effects, harmless and not so. The boys pull the braids of the girls they like; older people speak with condemnation about the promiscuity of youths and seek to humiliate them, when in reality, revealing clothes and provocative style attract them. Reactive formation often betrays its inadequacy of the situation and periodic "breakthroughs" of true feelings through the mask.

Homophobia, anti-Semitism and other forms of rejection of social and national groups are also sometimes the result of reactive education. In this case, with the help of a defense mechanism, one's own attraction or one's own connection with a national group, which for some reason is considered unacceptable, is neutralized. This application of a defense mechanism harms other people, but it does not eliminate the internal conflict in the person who uses it, and does not increase his level of awareness.

Substitution: Transference of Anger

Substitution allows you to transfer unwanted feelings (especially anger and irritation) from one object to another for the purpose of self-defense. The person who was yelled at by the boss may not answer him, but yell at his child at home in the evening. He needs to vent the anger that has arisen, but doing this in communication with the boss is dangerous, but the child is unlikely to give a worthy rebuff.

A random object can also become an object of replacement. In this case, the result of this protection mechanism is, for example, rudeness in transport or rudeness at the workplace. An unfinished drawing torn in anger is also a form of substitution, however, much more harmless.

Fantasy: Brave New World

Fantasies allow you to temporarily improve emotional condition through the work of the imagination. Dreaming, reading, playing computer games and even watching porn give us the opportunity to move from a difficult situation to where we will be more comfortable. From the point of view of psychoanalysis, the emergence of fantasies is due to the desire for the fulfillment, satisfaction and fulfillment of desires that cannot yet be satisfied in the real world.

Fantasies amortize suffering and help to calm the personality. Nevertheless, the psyche is not always able to fully recognize where reality ends and the imaginary world begins. In the era of development information technologies a person can enter into a relationship with a media image, dreaming of a favorite actress or interacting with a character they like computer game. The destruction of such relationships due to unsuccessful contact with the real content of the image or unpleasant situations will be experienced as a real loss and will bring emotional pain. Fantasies can also distract a person from the real world. At the same time, they often become fertile ground for creativity and form the basis of successful works, bringing positive results in reality.

Have you noticed certain behavioral attitudes as a standard reaction to certain life situations? For example, when you are fired from work, explaining the situation to your relatives, do you blame the boss and say that he constantly found fault, although the situation was not quite like that, and did he have a reason for criticism? Or when you break loose and yell at another person, is it easier for you to put him in a negative light? These actions can cause rejection by society. Others sometimes write it off as a "complex character." And obviously not everyone thinks that such actions are a typical psychological defense. Let's understand this concept.

What is psychological protection?

This term was introduced back in 1894 by the great psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud. He came to the conclusion that a person can react to circumstances that are unpleasant for him in two ways: block them in a conscious state or distort these circumstances to such an extent that their scale is significantly reduced or deviated in the other direction.

All defense mechanisms have two common characteristics. First, they are not conscious. A person activates them without realizing it. It's just self-deception. And secondly, the main goal of these mechanisms is to distort or deny reality as much as possible so that it does not seem so disturbing or threatening to a person. It is worth noting that often people use several defense mechanisms at once in order to protect their personality from unpleasant, traumatic events. This is by no means a conscious lie or exaggeration.

Despite the fact that all these defensive reactions are aimed at protecting the human psyche, preventing him from falling into depression or experiencing severe stress, they can also be harmful. We cannot live all our lives in a state of denial or blaming everyone around for our troubles, replacing our own reality with a distorted picture that our subconscious gave out.

What are the types of psychological protection?

Let's look at the main defense mechanisms that Sigmund Freud identified. Each person will be able to recognize at least one, or even several mechanisms that his psyche activated earlier.

Crowding out. This mechanism is also known as motivated forgetting. It works by pushing the traumatic event from the conscious level into the subconscious. But, nevertheless, the problem remains in the human psyche, retains tension with it on an emotional level, and also leaves a mark on human behavior.

So, psychological protection in the form of repression can manifest itself in victims of violence, when the shock from the experienced situation is so strong that the psyche simply sends the memory to the depths of the subconscious. A person simply does not remember that some terrible actions were performed on him and lives the way he lived before.

But, whatever one may say, the repressed memory will make itself felt. This directly affects human behavior. For example, a raped girl, even if she does not remember these terrible events in her life, may show fear, distrust and anxiety in communicating with men in the future. Living in such a state requires a constant expenditure of psychological energy. Sometimes the need for the information that has been repressed can come out and manifest itself in the so-called "psychopathology of everyday life" - in dreams, jokes, slips of the tongue, and other similar manifestations.

Also, the consequences of repression can manifest themselves in the presence of psychosexual disorders in a person (such as frigidity or impotence), or in psychosomatic diseases. Repression is the main and most common type of psychological defense. It directly affects other protective mechanisms of the personality, in some cases being their basis.

This type of protection is activated at a time when a person does not want to be aware of the presence of some traumatic circumstance. For example, a serious illness.

For the first time, we all encounter this mechanism in early childhood. When, having broken his mother's favorite vase, the child sincerely declares that he did not do this. In this situation, there are two options: either the baby is very good at deceiving, or he was very afraid that he would be scolded or that his mother would be upset, and his subconscious mind simply replaced the memory that he really broke this vase.

Projection. The mechanism by which a person attributes his unacceptable feelings, behavior, thoughts to other people or the environment as a whole. So, within the framework of this mechanism, we can shift the responsibility for our mistakes, failures and mistakes to other people.

A striking example of projection is the case when we transfer our negative qualities(real or fictitious) on another person, and we experience a feeling of hostility towards him for this. We do not like him, because on a conscious level we do not understand that we ourselves have the shortcomings that were attributed to him.

Sublimation. This is a psychological defense, which involves a person changing his impulses to those that can be expressed in a way acceptable to society. Sublimation is the only healthy tactic for taking control of impulses that others do not accept.

For example, a man who is subconsciously sadistic may fulfill his need to write novels or play sports. In these activities, he can show his superiority over other people, but do it in a way that will bring a useful result to society. Freud writes in his writings that the sublimation of sexual instincts has become one of the main engines of culture and science in the West. It was this mechanism that led to the rise in ideology, culture and has great importance for modern life.

Reactive education. Such psychological protection works at those moments when a person wants to transform some desires and thoughts that are unacceptable for society or for himself into completely opposite ones. When, for example, a woman who feels hatred for her relative expresses care and love for her in every possible way. Or a man who vehemently opposes homosexuals in this way can suppress his tendency to same-sex love.

Because of this distortion of reality, it is difficult to assess the objective opinion of a person. After all, a good attitude can only be the suppression of real negative thoughts and desires. But sometimes the protective mechanisms of the personality work and vice versa. For example, when a person expressing anger actually feels good natured or interested. And simulated or ostentatious hatred is a consequence of a relationship or unrequited love, which has become a traumatic event for him.

Rationalization. This is a type of defense in which a person tries to explain his mistakes, failures or blunders in terms of logic. And, what is most interesting, he often manages to convince himself and others that everything is actually in order. So, a man who was rejected by a woman can inspire himself and his relatives that she is completely unattractive or has a bad character, bad habits etc. That is, as they say: “I didn’t really want to.” And sometimes we can meet defense mechanisms even in fables. A clear example of rationalization is found in Aesop's fable about the fox and grapes: the fox heroine could not reach out to pick a bunch of grapes, and began to reassure herself that the berries were not yet ripe.

Depreciation. This psychological defense is one of the most cruel and inhumane types of defense in relation to the outside world. . Because a person with a devalued own "I" (which is often undeserved), tries to devalue the whole world around him, thereby saving his own self-esteem. This mechanism very often works in young people, because in their youth, most of them underestimate themselves, suffer from complexes. And so young people are ironic, trying to ridicule all the shortcomings of society.

This is a type of protection in which a person also tries to create a distorted reality around him. These psychological mechanisms manifest themselves in the form of fantasies. For example, a person goes to work and visualizes the situation when he finds a case with money. And, of course, in dreams they are not stolen and not earned on someone's misfortune. They are completely “clean”, just for him they fell from the sky. And so a person eventually notices that walking down the street, he looks around, deep down hoping to see the same case. Does fantasizing have negative consequences? See what form it takes. Sometimes, if we just dream about something, it gives us the opportunity to get distracted, relieve stress, think about pleasant things. But sometimes the thought of the object of fantasy becomes obsessive. And if a person quits his job and wanders aimlessly through the streets, hoping that he is about to find such a case with money and instantly solve his financial issues, then this is undoubtedly a harmful action of fantasizing. In such cases, defense mechanisms work against us.

Transferred aggression. This is a very common mechanism that uses a large number of of people. A good example: when the head of the family, who on that day could not prove himself at work well and was reprimanded by his superiors, comes and “breaks down” on his relatives. He finds flaws in them, screams, strives to make a quarrel, provokes the household in order to free himself from the negativity that he has accumulated throughout the day.

In Japan, they figured out how to get rid of this - in a specially designated room at enterprises they installed a rubber doll with the appearance of the head of this enterprise. And next to it are beats. So, an employee who is dissatisfied with the relationship in the team or criticism of the leader can go and beat his realistic copy. This helped to reduce the number of scandals at home based on troubles at work. Often, transferred aggression can manifest itself in somatic diseases, when a responsible, vulnerable, depressed person transfers all the anger for mistakes onto himself, his body. Often this can even result in alcohol addiction.

Insulation. This is a mechanism in which a person seems to divide his personality into two or more, separating the one that does bad deeds. This is an unconscious abstraction from the problem, immersion in which can provoke unpleasant feelings, and even cause a neurotic state. This often appears in childhood when a child, having done something bad, "turns" into another person - a mouse or a cartoon character, for example, who admits that a boy or girl did something bad, but not him, the "mouse".

Regression. This is a transition to a simpler, more primitive level of functioning. It is characteristic of individuals who are prone to tantrums. They are often characterized by infantilism, which is why the transition to childish behavior and refusal to take responsibility is an almost natural reaction to unpleasant events. Some researchers tend to believe that personality regression is one of the reasons for the development of schizophrenia.

Are defense mechanisms good or bad?

It would seem that psychological protection in many cases works against a person, plunging him into an environment of distorted reality. His attitudes, actions and thoughts are adjusted to it, which is a negative influence.

But, nevertheless, in the absence of psychological protection, it would be incredibly difficult for people to endure stressful situations. The news of illness or problems at work could provoke severe mental disorders or physical illness.

You cannot blame a person who fantasizes too much, substitutes concepts or does not want to accept certain events in his life. It is possible that he does this not intentionally, unconsciously.

And in order to smooth side effects» psychological defense, it is necessary to work not on changing a person’s behavior, but on eliminating the consequences of the trauma, which became the provocateur of the activation of protection.

Psychological defense is a complex mechanism of a person's response to any external stimulus. Psychological defense as a mechanism always arises in response to a real or hidden threat. Moreover, this mechanism, as a rule, is connected in people completely unconsciously. We do not understand why we suddenly begin to behave aggressively, withdraw into ourselves or try with all our might to offend the interlocutor, to hurt him to the quick. Psychological protection is a state of the individual characterized by increased anxiety, suspiciousness and a sense of hidden resentment. Psychological protection implies the need to seek refuge within themselves, based on their own ideas about reality.

It should be noted that the mechanisms of psychological defense, as a rule, remain unconscious by the person himself. He constantly justifies his own inaction in order not to make any further efforts to change the situation. After all, it is much easier to endlessly complain about life than to really try to change something. Psychological defense is a mechanism that works regardless of our desire. Rather, the choice of the type of protection in each case depends on the nature of the person, his temperament, the level of ambition. It just becomes convenient for a person to use this mechanism in life. Among the types of psychological protection are the following.

blocking

This type psychological protection allows you to prevent a traumatic event in consciousness. A person takes the necessary steps to avoid feelings of guilt, envy, anger, disappointment, etc. Blocking promotes escape from reality without significant emotional losses. Of course, unresolved problems will someday return with new force and will disturb consciousness, drive a person into depression and worries. Blocking is an unconscious mechanism that allows you to stay at the starting point and postpone active actions for a while. This method cannot be called constructive, since it does not allow the personality to fully grow and develop.

Distortion

Distortion is a kind of psychological defense that makes it possible to bring a traumatic event into consciousness, changing its essence to a safer option. Of course, this is self-deception. A person cannot endlessly persuade himself, pretend that everything is fine, but in fact, over the years, the situation only catastrophically increases, growing in scale. Distortion is a kind of psychological defense that for a long time does not allow a person to see the truth. Not everyone will be able to face the truth, because for this you need to have courage. The more we distort information about ourselves, the more difficult it becomes for us to live in the world, to communicate with other people.

Methods of psychological protection

There are several ways of psychological protection. The mechanism of its action is so subtle that most people simply do not notice that they are bogged down in their own discontent and suffering. Types and methods of protection are based on an unconscious escape from reality. People are sometimes so afraid of solving problems that they even avoid the thought of own problems. Let us consider in more detail the common methods that a person usually resorts to.

Self-accusation

This is a very common way to escape from a disturbing situation, it can be called a classic. A person under any guise, in public or alone with himself, tries to blame himself. Only in this way can he temporarily feel calm. This mechanism starts almost automatically. Self-blame, oddly enough, sometimes helps to feel important and in demand. The person does not realize that in the end he only makes things worse for himself. Other people will never worry about our problems as much as the person himself, immersed in suffering, does.

Blaming others

This type of psychological protection is very common in life. People are in a hurry to blame others for their failures and failures, sometimes not noticing that they themselves are to blame for everything. People are so skillfully at times relieve themselves of responsibility that one can only wonder how they manage to deceive themselves so smoothly. With this approach, a person's conscience is partially or completely dulled, he becomes unable to adequately evaluate his own actions. The mechanism of psychological defense remains unnoticed by consciousness. This kind of escape from reality partly helps a person compensate for his own stupidity.

addictive behavior

The appearance of any addiction indicates that it becomes difficult for a person to live in this world and perceive it adequately. The formation of dependence allows you to be in an illusion for a long time, to avoid specific steps and actions. The very mechanism of the emergence of alcohol, drug or other forms of addiction is associated with a strong fear of life. A person is literally overcome by waking nightmares that he himself created for himself. He is guided by a hidden desire to isolate himself, to hide from a life that seems too scary and dangerous.

Psychological defense mechanisms

Modern psychological science identifies many mechanisms for the development and manifestation of psychological defense. These mechanisms allow you to be safe for a long time, to avoid mental anguish and anxiety. In other words, defense mechanisms contribute to fencing off reality, to oblivion.

crowding out

This mechanism provokes the process of forgetting. The person seems to be pushing away the disturbing information. He concentrates his inner forces not on solving pressing problems, but on pushing them into the bowels of the subconscious as soon as possible. This usually happens when a person does not have the strength to fight or the information is so traumatic that it can cause serious damage to the psyche and cause it to become upset. In many cases, repression is a mechanism that brings about a quick release from oppressive suffering. Freed from pain and fear with the help of this mechanism, it seems even easier. But in fact it is self-deception.

Negation

The mechanism of denial is usually used if grief has occurred in the family, for example, one of the close relatives has died. This psychological defense mechanism is activated completely unconsciously. A person stubbornly repeats the same thing for hours, but does not accept what happened. This is how protection against destructive information works. The brain simply cannot focus on anything completely, it blocks the arrival of dangerous news, and the threatening event, as if, does not spread, but is suspended. It's amazing what games the subconscious mind can play with us! By refusing to live the pain of the here and now, we involuntarily transfer it to the future.

Regression

This psychological defense mechanism helps to focus on yourself. As a rule, older children resort to this technique when a child appears in the family. youngest child. Parents notice that the elder suddenly begins to behave inappropriately: he pretends to be a little fool, as if pretending to be helpless and defenseless. This behavior indicates that he really lacks parental attention and love. Adult people, as a rule, slide to a lower level of development, get a job that does not correspond to their skills.

Insulation

Such a mechanism of psychological defense helps a person not to face daily those circumstances that cause him suffering and irritation. Isolation should often be understood precisely as self-isolation, as a person begins to actively avoid participating in those events that give him visible inconvenience. Leaving the problem, the person limits himself very much, because he does not leave himself the opportunity to return sometime later in order to correct the situation for the better.

Projection

This psychological defense mechanism involves hiding one's own shortcomings by revealing flaws in the character of another person. It has been proven that the more we are annoyed by certain personal qualities This is how we see the people around us. So, a lazy person projects his own inaction and apathy onto others. It seems to him that around him there are only couch potatoes and irresponsible people. An aggressive personality is incredibly irritated by angry people. And the one who, for some reason, considers himself unworthy of love, happiness and attention, will meet people everywhere in whom this feature will manifest itself even more strongly. The projection of the unconscious allows us for the time being not to notice our own shortcomings. That is why a person in rare cases is able to independently notice that he is degrading.

substitution

Substitution is a complex mechanism for avoiding a disturbing event. A person does not just push him away, but tries to fill the resulting void by any means. With the help of substitution, people are partly able to compensate for their loss with something else of equal value. So, for example, after surviving the death of a pet, some willingly immediately give birth to another animal. The subconscious dictates to them the idea that it is necessary to immediately acquire a new pet for their own peace of mind. Substitution, of course, does not relieve suffering, since the unexperienced pain does not go anywhere, but is driven even deeper.

Rationalization

When a person is powerless in the face of some depressing circumstances, he begins to explain to himself what happened, calling on the voice of reason to help. Rationalization as a psychological defense mechanism is a very common phenomenon. We all, to one degree or another, reflect on the events taking place, looking for hidden meaning and significance in them. With the help of rationalization, one can reduce the destructive effect of any conflict, justify any mistake or moral damage caused. People sometimes do not think about how much they run away from themselves, turning away from the unsightly truth. How much wiser it would be to experience mental pain once than to constantly stumble because of it in similar cases.

Sublimation

Sublimation is a psychological defense mechanism that is aimed at experiencing uncontrolled emotions and feelings, but only in another area of ​​life. For example, bitterness can be somewhat reduced by starting to write heartbreaking poems or read poets in similar topics. It would seem that unrequited love itself will not disappear from this, one thing can reduce the quality of emotional experiences. Sublimation is a great way to forget your own uselessness and restlessness. Very often, sublimation is associated with creative endeavors. Care in painting, writing, music helps to forget past failures. Watching TV shows, reading books also partly compensates for a person’s loneliness, allows you to experience those feelings and emotions that real life there is simply no place.

Thus, psychological protection helps a person overcome severe mental pain, cope with the deafening manifestations of life. However, one cannot constantly live away from reality, since there is a great risk of separation from one's own plans, hopes and actions.