Defense Mechanism: How it works and why do we use that?

DEFENSE MECHANISM. 

A Psychological operation that functions to protect a person from anxiety. 

Or in simple words a way to secretly coping with stress. We all suffer from stress and anxiety in our daily lives and unconsciously we all develop a defense mechanism, or we find a way to cope with that stress(unknowingly).

Example-   

1. Binge eating, 
2. breaking down the stuff around 
3. shouting etc.
   
   
   

                                                                     How does it work?

Sigmund Freud, the father of modern psychology gave the psychoanalytic theory.  According to this theory, 

When you experience a stressor, the subconscious will monitor the situation first and if it believes that the situation is negative enough to harm your emotional health, it may react with a defense mechanism to protect you.

Mature and Less mature defense Mechanism:

Many researchers believes that with more mature defense mechanism individual improve cognition whereas less mature one causes harm.

Mature defense mechanism allows you to see the root cause of your problem whereas less mature mechanism blocks you from looking at any cause of anxiety or stress.  

Problems caused by less mature defense mechanism:

• Feeling sad
• Not being able to get out of bed
• Losing relationships due to communication problems
• Having difficulties forming and maintaining relationships.
• Avoiding people, occasions and situations.
• 
  
  
  
  

Top 10 defense mechanisms:

• Denial : It is one of the most used defense mechanisms. It occurs when an individual refuses to accept the reality. People in denial refuses to accept the reality in order to protect themselves from emotional pain. 

     Example :  Raj an aspiring engineer (23), came to know about his chronic cancer. He           refuses to believe the reports or the doctors. And claims there was some problem with          the   test or doctors are not capable enough in this hospital. He argues about his age and      habits. In this case he is in denial. Everybody around him can see the truth except him.

•  Repression:  Painful memories, unpleasant past  or irrational thoughts can upset us. In this case instead of facing these thoughts, we tend to hide them somewhere in our unconscious mind so that we can forget them entirely. Even if we forget these memories, they can still influence our behavior in future. 

Example  After a really messy and toxic relationship Siya wants to forget all the memories and wants to move on. She tried to repress all her thoughts and memories related to him. Even though after two years she thought she has forgotten everything and tried to start a new relationship with a different person. She was still very cautious of every thing that has hurt her previously. Unconsciously she was over assessing and judging every bit of her partners behavior.

• Projection: Some times thoughts or feelings you have for the other person makes you uncomfortable that you don't even want to accept it. So instead of accepting them you put them in such a way that you feel that person is feeling the same for you.

 Example  When we don't like a person in a workplace or in our group instead of accepting that we assume that they don't like us. We start to interpret their behavior in worst way possible. We convince ourselves that the next person is the one who dislikes us. However they might not even think that way.

• Displacement: When we project our strong emotions or frustrations towards a person or object that doesn't seem threatening to us.

  Example: Getting angry at your child or breaking objects in your room, domestic violence( getting angry on your spouse).

• Regression: Some people who feel threatened by some situation or feel anxious by something they tend to "escape" in their previous stage. Mostly happens in kids when they start to wet their bed again or start thumb sucking again.

Example  When a person show tantrum after a fight with partner or parents.

• Rationalization: Some people try to justify the situations by their own set of facts. This makes us feel comfortable with the choices that we have made.

Example  Someone who didn't get a ice cream might think "Who wants ice cream in this weather? It can make me sick anyways."

• Sublimation: (Positive and safe mechanism): It is considered positive and safe mechanism because in this mechanism the individual redirects their emotions on the activities that are safe and sometimes productive as well. 

 Example: Instead of lashing out at your partner or kids you instead choose to channel your frustration into a dance class or sports class.

• Reaction formation or suppression: In this mechanism individual recognizes how they feel instead they choose to react in complete opposite way. 

Example: When a person is feeling anger emotions but reacts in a overly calmly.

• Compartmentalization: Dividing our own life in different compartments or levels. Example: Not discussing personal issues in workspace, not taking work stress to home.
• Intellectualization:  When we hit from a threatening situation we try to remove all the emotions that are confusing us try to focus on quantitative facts. 

Example: Focusing on studies and exams after breakup.