Defense Mechanisms

In some of my reading I came across a discussion and a list of defense mechanisms – ways in which we humans find ways to cope with pain or our own limitations or sense of guilt or shame or sinfulness. It’s always encouraging to read a list of how many ways we can consciously or unconsciously deceive ourselves and others (read sarcasm). It’s amazing how after some intentional and honest reflection how many of these show up in my life in varying degrees. Most are from the source below, but I added a few others that are well known.

Defense Mechanism: A process by which unacceptable impulses or wishes are unconsciously managed by the mind in order to prevent anxiety.

• Acting Out – Reacting to feelings rooted in one situation inappropriately in another situation or context
• Avoidance – Conscience or unconscious avoidance of the sources of anxiety
• Blameshifting – When one shifts their own guilt and responsibility onto another person or object or circumstance
• Conversion – Instead of experiencing anxiety, the mind converts a conflict to a physical illness involving the voluntary muscles or the special senses
• Compensation – The person tries to compensate for what is unconsciously felt to be inadequacies. A “Napoleon” complex or “Little Man” complex would be examples of this
• Denial – Could be similar to repression, but reflects a rejection of reality
• Displacement – One shifts the anxiety from one source onto another object or situation
• Idealization – One exaggerates or overestimates qualities that he or she highly regards in another individual
• Identification – one unconsciously adopts the qualities of someone else. If it were conscious, this would be defined as “imitation”
• Isolation – Ideas and feelings in someone are separated from each other, allowing thoughts to be present in the mind without the memory of accompanying uncomfortable feelings, which were associated with earlier experiences
• Intellectualization – Information and reasoning are used instead of a person feeling emotions that are appropriate to a given situation
• Projection – When somebody unwittingly blames others for things for which he or she is partially responsible
• Rationalization – When someone unconsciously gives a socially acceptable reason for a failing or disappointing others as a substitute for the real one
• Reaction formation – When a fear or unwanted impulse is replaced by its opposite
• Regression -One moves to a more primitive form of behavior in an emotional sense, in physical or emotional illness, or even in everyday activities such as play or sleep
• Repression -When one “unconsciously forgets” painful or difficult memories or experiences
• Scapegoating – This is more of a community defense mechanism. When a group, family, or other form of community shifts guilt and responsibility onto an innocent member of the group or one who is vulnerable to alienation. In essence, one person or a small group is sacrificed to alleviate the anxiety of the majority.
• Sublimation – When unacceptable emotions are rejected and are deflected into socially approved behavior. For example, anger often gets channeled into sports.
• Symbolization – When a specific phobia represents or symbolizes an important concept to a person
• Undoing – The impulse to do something and its opposite impulse may occur in rapid succession when a person is using this defense (i.e. compulsive handwashing)