Defensive Mechanisms Need Self-Honesty

Dear Readers:

I received a number of requests for continuing my discussion of defense mechanisms, which I will return to in today’s column.

Defense mechanisms are coping strategies adopted unconsciously by everyone to shield them from painful thoughts and feelings. Some defenses provide useful coping strategies while others can create problems in relationships, work and daily living if they are used as one’s primary style of coping with life’s challenges.

Let’s look at other defense mechanisms:

• If you have ever had a bad day at the office and have gone home and taken out your frustration and anger on your family or kicked the dog, you have exhibited the defense mechanism of displacement. However, this diversion of emotional feeling, often anger, from the original source to a substitute target can be expressed in a healthier fashion such as a frustrated employee taking out his anger on a punching bag.

• Related to displacement is sublimation, the healthy redirection of a strong emotion. Some theorists postulate that this redirection of emotion can be creative and constructive. For example, a controlling person can channel his or her energy into successful business ventures, or a person with very strong sexual urges can become an artist, a socially acceptable activity.

Alternatively, sublimation of aggressive impulses can take place through pleasurable games, sports and completion.

• Projection is ascribing your disturbing thoughts, feelings or impulses to another person who does not share these same psychological features. For example, the gambler who cheats believes that everybody is cheating him even though the other participants are playing honestly. A person with a lot of unconscious anger may project this anger onto his friend and think that the friend is angry.

• Regression occurs when people who are faced with situations that produce a great deal of emotional distress attempt to cope by retreating to an earlier stage of development. As an example, regression may be replacing effective coping skills with behaviors that were used to reduce anxiety earlier in life, such as when a 6-year-old child faced with his first day of school becomes anxious and starts sucking his thumb again and clinging to his comfort blanket.

Being insightful and aware of your thoughts, feelings, and behavior can lead to coping strategies that don’t depend on the unhealthy use of defense mechanisms. Strive for self-honesty in the new year.