All about psychological defense, or How to correctly understand your reactions

A person constantly faces a conflict between his inner world and the surrounding reality. The human psyche is designed in such a way that it protects itself from the negative consequences of this collision. Thanks to certain mechanisms, anxiety is weakened, frustration, tension and anxiety are reduced.

Psychological protection is automatically triggered when exposed to negative factors, leveling the psycho-emotional background. It regulates a person’s reactions, helps to adapt to the situation, and normalizes the state of the individual. Scientists believe that defense mechanisms that bring the psyche into a stable state can be involved not only at the unconscious level.

Methods of psychological defense are not used one at a time, but act in combination. The fight against internal and external conflicts occurs through the work of imagination, memory, emotions, thinking, perception and attention. The techniques described below can be used to reduce emotional stress.

Projection

It manifests itself in the fact that a person projects his own negative traits onto the people around him. For example, an individual may explain his own aggression as a fair reaction to the aggressive behavior of others. Something like: as you are with me, so am I with you.

Most often, projection acts as a defensive reaction against awareness of one’s own problems. It covers negative character traits. There is also another type of psychological defense.

In some cases, a person transfers positive emotions and achievements to others, thereby subconsciously asserting himself at the expense of others. For example, when a student achieves success in some matter where his teacher never shone, the latter is secretly proud of his own merit. After all, it was he who was able to instill in the pupil the necessary skills.

The role and significance of the direction in science

Psychological safety studies mental activity. She considers the feeling of security as the results of measures taken by the individual himself and society. Psychological safety ensures the protection of the individual and is the basis for normal relationships between people. This concept is designed to maintain the existing order in society.

Security acts as a tool for regulating social behavior. It limits the activities of certain structures and individuals to protect the individual from external negative influence. Studying and improving methods of influence is the main task of psychological safety. It is closely intertwined with other areas of psychological and social science: sociology, political science, history, philosophy.

Rationalization

This psychological defense is based on a pseudo-rational approach. A person uses logical and understandable conclusions to explain his own failure. That part of the situation that is negatively valued in the internal system of values ​​is unconsciously removed from consciousness. A person does not perceive the connection between cause and effect and replaces it with a false judgment.

An example of rationalization is the fable about the fox and the grapes. The animal was unable to eat the berry. The fox convinced herself that she could not taste the grapes because they were not ripe, and not because they were growing at an unattainable height.

What factors can cause anxiety?

The degree of personal security is influenced by objective (traditional) means of influence: the threat of physical and mental violence, loss of property, threat to honor and dignity. They are the main reasons for a decreased sense of security. In some cases, the psyche is influenced by atypical means: artificially created, imaginary.

Sources of danger are usually divided by origin. Natural phenomena include natural phenomena, and artificial phenomena include the fruits of human activity. The degree of influence depends on the level of influence and the characteristics of the individual person’s perception.

The following types of factors can be subjective sources of danger:

1. Material - various biological viruses, ultrasonic and radio wave radiation. It can be used consciously or unconsciously if a person does not understand the degree of danger.
2. Biopsychic - means of control used by subjects to subjugate and suppress the will. These include certain forms of hypnosis, magnetic and biological fields, and energy effects.
3. Uncertain are poorly understood phenomena that official science is unable to explain. These include mystical phenomena and objects: prophetic dreams, UFOs, poltergeists, curses.

Despite the subjective determination of the level of psychological violence, the sources of influence are considered objectively dangerous. Their use is criminal and punishable.

Reactive education

It is based on the substitution of feelings and emotions for the exact opposite. For example, fear of showing sympathy creates strong antipathy, and hatred of parents creates boundless love and care. A person changes his feelings to polar ones unconsciously, often due to fear of not being understood or as a result of other reasons.

This type of psychological defense can be calculated by the intensity of the emotions shown. Let's say, if anger towards a person obscures the eyes and does not manifest itself in other cases, then this is a clear signal. Just like endless love for your boss can be a consequence of intense negative emotions.

Image as part of psychological security

A psychologically protected person necessarily thinks about the impression he makes on those with whom he has to interact. This applies to both relatives, friends and people who are neutral, as well as enemies and ill-wishers, either constantly present in one way or another in life, or meeting from time to time - in various life situations. Moreover, the topic of image concerns to a greater extent precisely the last category of people - those who arise in life situationally - with the intersection of interests, divergence of opinions, and so on.

To ensure that there are as few unfriendly people in life as possible, a protected person pays attention to his image, which he creates in the outside world. So, based on the characteristics of his character and temperament, such a person has a choice of several image options that contribute to psychological security:

• the image of an unpredictable person with whom it is better not to mess with, because you can expect anything from him;
• the image of an imperturbable person, whom it is simply impossible to hurt or prick because of his “thick skin” - self-confidence and calmness;
• the image of a modest person who always remains, as it were, in the background, minding his own business, but at the same time behaves confidently;
• the image of a wit who does not mince his words and is able to outshine any bully with his sharp mind and tongue;
• the image of a benevolent and charming person, radiating warmth and pleasant to communicate with, on whom there is simply no desire to put pressure;
• the image of a powerful and authoritative person, to whom it is better not to cling, so as not to get yourself into even greater trouble.

It’s not difficult to guess why image can serve as an excellent protective tool. But you need to choose it only in accordance with the characteristics of your personality, otherwise the behavior will look unnatural. The image must be complemented by a certain manner of speech and behavior in specific situations, a variety of non-verbal signals and other components. Together with the qualities and traits of a psychologically protected person, the image can and should become the foundation of behavior on which interaction with other people will be built.

As for the acquisition of all the qualities that contribute to psychological security, it will not be possible to acquire them overnight, and this must be accepted. They will all come over time, and this will be facilitated by an eventful, varied and interesting life with many difficulties and trials. This is the only way you will be able to strengthen your character, strengthen your spirit and form an unbending inner core.

But even here you need to be careful and attentive. Remember: if the ends of a branch are pressed sharply together, it will break, but if you connect them smoothly, it will withstand the tension. It’s the same here: you shouldn’t rush headlong into all serious things. Simply put, the pressure of your life must be somehow controlled so as not to break down, and the desired qualities must be acquired not only through experience, but also through such things as self-education, self-education, self-discipline and the development of a strong character. Therefore, in conclusion, here are some tips on this topic.

We wish you peace of mind and strength of spirit!

Did you like the article? Join our communities on social networks or our Telegram channel and don’t miss the release of new useful materials: TelegramVKontakteFacebook

We also recommend reading:

• Storytelling
• Active and passive protection against manipulation
• Emotional and psychological trauma
• What to do with psychological problems?
• Mastery of Self-Control
• Countermanipulation and emotional control: basic rules
• Protection against manipulation
• Psychological pressure and how to resist it
• Techniques for maintaining audience attention
• What is a personal comfort zone and how to prevent it from being violated
• Anti-manipulation techniques

Key words:_D1026, _D1027, 1Psychoregulation, 4Psychoregulation

Regression

This protective mechanism returns the adult individual to childhood. At an unconscious level, each person has a script for the child’s behavior written down. When things are bad or something doesn’t go according to plan, you can slip into crying, hysteria, and whims. Then others will come to the rescue and solve all the problems.

A similar scenario worked with parents in childhood, so many adults, with the help of regression, try to regain that psychological comfort and remove the burden of responsibility. Often such behavior can be observed during illness. Constant use of this type of psychological defense can lead to psychosomatic illnesses and difficulties in relationships with society.

Mechanisms of psychological defense of the individual

A special system of personality regulation aimed at protecting consciousness from negative, traumatic, unpleasant experiences caused by contradictions, anxiety and a state of discomfort is called psychological protection, the functional purpose of which is to minimize intrapersonal confrontation, relieve tension, and relieve anxiety. By weakening internal contradictions, psychological hidden “safeties” regulate the behavioral reactions of the individual, increasing its adaptive ability and balancing the psyche.

Freud had previously outlined the theories of the conscious, unconscious and the concept of the subconscious, where he emphasized that defensive internal mechanisms are an integral part of the unconscious. He argued that the human subject is often confronted with unpleasant stimuli that are threatening and can generate stress or lead to a breakdown. Without internal “safeties,” the ego of the individual will undergo disintegration, which will make it impossible to make decisions in everyday life. Psychological protection acts as shock absorbers. It helps individuals cope with negativity and pain.

Modern psychological science identifies 10 internal defense mechanisms, which are classified according to the degree of maturity into defensive (for example, isolation, rationalization, intellectualization) and projective (denial, repression). The first ones are more mature. They allow negative or traumatic information to enter their consciousness, but interpret it for themselves in a “painless” way. The second ones are more primitive, since traumatic information is not allowed into consciousness.

Today, psychological “safeties” are considered reactions that an individual resorts to unconsciously in order to protect his own internal mental components, the “Ego,” from anxiety, confrontation, frustration, feelings of shame, guilt, and feelings of anger.

The fundamental mechanisms of psychological defense are differentiated by such parameters as the level of processing of the conflict internally, the reception of reality distortion, the level of the amount of energy spent on maintaining a certain mechanism, the level of infantilism of the individual and the type of probable mental disorder that appears as a result of addiction to a certain defense mechanism.

Freud, using his own three-component model of the structure of the psyche, suggested that individual mechanisms arise in childhood.

Psychological protection, examples of it are found all the time in life. Often, in order not to vent anger on the boss, a person pours out streams of negative information on employees, since they are less significant objects for him.

It often happens that the safety mechanisms begin to work incorrectly. The reason for this failure lies in the individual’s desire for peace. Hence, when the desire for psychological comfort begins to prevail over the desire to comprehend the world, minimizing the risk of going beyond the boundaries of the familiar, well-functioning defense mechanisms cease to function adequately, which leads to self-deception.

Protective defense mechanisms constitute the security complex of the personality, but at the same time they can lead to its disintegration. Each individual has his own favorite variation of protection.

Psychological defense is an example of this: the desire to find a reasonable explanation for even the most ridiculous behavior. This is how the tendency towards rationalization manifests itself.

However, there is a fine line that runs between adequate use of the preferred mechanism and a violation of the equivalent balance in their functioning. Troubles arise for individuals when the chosen “fuse” is absolutely inappropriate for the situation.

crowding out

All types of psychological defense help cope with negative feelings, but repression works even with the most powerful impulses. This method is characterized by removing a traumatic event from consciousness. However, it still remains in memory at an unconscious level and influences the individual’s behavior.

The human psyche actively supports repression, spending a large amount of resources. An unresolved internal conflict breaks to the surface in a dream, with reservations. Repression is quite dangerous, as it can lead to serious neurosis.

What is psychological protection

The human psyche is characterized by the ability to protect itself from negative surrounding or internal influences.

Psychological protection of the individual is present in every human subject, but varies in degree of intensity.

Psychological protection guards the mental health of people, protects their “I” from the effects of stress, increased anxiety, anxiety, negative, destructive thoughts, and from confrontations leading to poor health.

Psychological defense as a concept was born in 1894 thanks to the famous psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, who came to the conclusion that a subject can show two different responses to unpleasant situations. He can either detain them in a conscious state, or distort such circumstances in order to reduce their scope or deviate them in a different direction.

All protective mechanisms are characterized by two features connecting them. First of all, they are unconscious. The individual activates defense spontaneously, without understanding what he is doing. Secondly, the main task of protective tools is to distort reality as much as possible or completely deny it, so that the subject stops perceiving it as alarming or unsafe. It should be emphasized that human individuals often use several protection mechanisms simultaneously in order to protect themselves from unpleasant, threatening events. However, such a distortion cannot be considered a deliberate lie or exaggeration.

At the same time, despite the fact that all available protective acts are aimed at protecting the human psyche, preventing him from falling into depression, and helping him endure stress, they often cause harm. The human subject cannot exist constantly in a state of renunciation or blaming others for his own troubles, replacing reality with a distorted picture that has fallen from the subconscious.

Psychological defense, in addition, can hinder personal growth and human development. It can become an obstacle to the path of success.

The negative consequences of the phenomenon under consideration occur with the stable repetition of a certain defense mechanism in similar situations of life, however, individual events, although similar to those that initially provoked the activation of the defense, do not need cover-up, since the subject himself can consciously find a solution to the problem that has arisen.

Also, defense mechanisms turn into a destructive force when a person uses several of them at the same time. A subject who frequently resorts to defense mechanisms is doomed to be a failure.

Psychological protection of the individual is not an innate skill. It is acquired during the child’s socialization. The main source of the formation of internal defense mechanisms and examples of their use are parents, who “infect” their own children with their example of using protection.

Substitution

In some situations, a person experiences strong negative emotions, but cannot throw them out for fear of consequences. In this case, the individual replaces the object for venting his feelings with something safer for himself. Most often we are talking about anger, and it can manifest itself in rudeness, rudeness, irritation, etc.

For example, at work, a boss yelled at a subordinate. He understands that entering into conflict is dangerous for his own well-being. Arriving home, he takes out his anger on the child, who is not able to give a worthy rebuff.

Which people are most at risk?

A certain category of people is more at risk than others. In psychology, their behavior is called victim behavior - the behavior of a victim. A person prone to sacrifice has a characteristic set of personality traits:

1. Inability to defend oneself, to defend one's position. If attacked, the individual prefers to surrender.
2. Dependence on family. Often in the past of a victimized person there is a negative experience of parent-child relationships. Authoritarian parents subjugate children, depriving them of the ability to distinguish between threat and care.
3. Low self-esteem, tendency to self-blame. The desire for danger can be conscious if the individual believes that he deserves to be treated poorly.
4. Confidence in your exclusivity. Victimized individuals believe that they are special and cannot become a victim of an attack.
5. The desire for an unhealthy relationship with an aggressive, suppressive partner. Women often find themselves in such relationships. They hope to receive protection, but they themselves are exposed to danger.

The victimized person ignores the threat and often does not notice it. In a situation where people with an adequate perception of reality try not to attract attention to themselves, the victimized person behaves defiantly. He unknowingly provokes the criminal, causing a danger that can be avoided.

Resistance

There are various personality defense mechanisms, and some of them interfere with self-improvement. The person does not want to accept that there is a problem and does not listen to the recommendations of specialists. When working with a psychologist, the client, with expressed resistance, insists that he is being provided with unqualified services, thereby justifying his own inaction.

If you have discovered one of the above types of psychological defense in your behavior, it’s time to understand the reasons for its occurrence. Considering that our subconscious is good at hiding unpleasant and annoying moments, we may have to make a lot of effort to remember them. Of course, you can turn to specialists for help. But, given the variety of ways to solve the problem, it is quite possible to do this yourself.

When and how are basic defensive reflexes formed?

The feeling of self-defense is formed at birth. Some psychologists believe that even before birth, the embryo senses the world around it through the mother’s organs. If she is positive, friendly, loves and is waiting for the birth of the child, the baby is comfortable and calm. A pregnant woman who is afraid and uncertain about the future causes the embryo to feel anxious and negativistic. The process of childbirth lays down the determining direction for the development of psychological safety: the faster and easier the process of giving birth to a baby, the higher its level of trust in the world.

As a person grows older, he creates the basis of psychological safety from individual components:

1. Mental health is the absence of diseases and factors contributing to their development.
2. Lifestyle – absence of destructive habits, focus on development.
3. The immediate environment provides support and emotional comfort.
4. Confidence in the future is stability, objective confirmation of the ability to realize your plans.
5. Personal autonomy is the ability to make independent decisions.

The negative influence of at least one of the components affects the entire structure of the psyche. A high level of danger, even in the absence of objective harm to life and health, reduces the individual’s ability to trust the world. Increased anxiety and nervous excitability lead to a critically low level of psychological safety and real harm to life and health.

Ways to work with the psyche

Constant exposure to stress reduces the level of comfort and gradually leads to a distortion of self-perception. Self-regulation of the psyche is disrupted, the feeling of security disappears. Simple exercises help bring it back and keep it at the same level:

1. Determining a safe place. Disconnecting from reality and recharging with energy are important for a normal state of mind. Being in a safe place every day that evokes positive emotions allows you to feel external protection. Thanks to this, mental resistance increases and the supply of vital energy is replenished.
2. Imaginary refuge. In a situation where it is impossible to get into a really existing protective place, you should visit it at least mentally. It is not necessary to imagine a real place: it can be an imaginary landscape that evokes a feeling of security.
3. Sketch of a disturbing image. An effective method of getting rid of anxiety is to transfer the feeling of fear into physical form. According to psychologists, visualization in the form of a simple drawing allows you to understand that fear is caused by an emotional experience, and not by a real threat.

Self-hypnosis methods do not work if the psyche is unstable: the person is under the influence of drugs, experiencing emotional shock, or has mental disorders.