The Ego as a Defense Mechanism
The function of defense is to protect the Ego, and defence may be instigated by Anxiety due to increase in instinctual tension, Super-Ego threats or realistic dangers. Anna Freud lists nine defence : REGRESSION, repression, REACTION FORMATION, ISOLATION, UNDOING, PROJECTION, INTROJECTION, TURNING AGAINST THE SELF, and REVERSAL - plus tenth SUBLIMATION. SPLITTING and DENIAL are also usually listed as defence.
It is usually assumed that defence belong to specific stages of development, e.g. INTROJECTION , projection, denial , splitting to the ORAL phase; reaction-formation , isolation and undoing to the ANAL phase.
Defence Mechanisms are unconscious mental processes which are employed to resolve conflict between instinctive needs ( The Id ), internalized prohibitions (The Super-Ego) and external reality. They Are directed against painful experiences. They are descriptive concepts only.
· Repression:-
It is the basic defence mechanism. There is refusal to recognize external reality and pushing into unconscious of the unacceptable instincts and feelings or conflicting impulses.
Thus their perception is inhibited and prevented from reaching consciousness. Denial is a CONSCIOUS refusal of recognition of external reality.
· Regression:-
Return to an earlier state or mode of functioning. It is a defensive process by which the subject avoids anxiety by return an earlier stage of psychosexual development . The stage to which the regression occurs being determined by the existence of FIXATION POINTS.
· Displacement:-
The process by which energ(CATHEXIS) is transferred from one mental image to another. Displacement is one of the p...
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...· REGRESSION is used in Conversion Hysteria and Eating Disorders.
· REVERSAL is manifested in Passive Aggressive and Dependant Personality Disorders.
KLEINIAN DEFENSE MECHANISMS:-
· SPLITTING:
Freud talked about splitting of the ego, but Melanie Klein considered Splitting as a defense mechanism. The positive and the negative fantasized relationships remain separate in consciousness with one alternative dissociated from the other. The child sees the Good Mother as Separate from the Bad Mother , the patient may see the Madonna as totally different and has nothing to do with the Prostitute.
· PROJECTIVE IDENTIFICATION:
Part of self is projected into another to harm , control or possess him or her. The dissociated unacceptable parts of the self are projected onto the other then the person identifies with the other.
survival, as well as the survival of the wild. He explains that anger occurs when we defend
The thought of Freud has a total focus on an individual’s mind and how this internal struggle effects how humans interact within society. Freud argues that every human has three functional parts of their personality that exist within the mind itself: the id, super-ego and the ego. Thurschwell describes these three layers as how they relate to each other. The id is the deepest level of the unconscious, which is dominated by the pleasure principle and has no concept of time except for the present, demanding instant gratification of sexual and aggressive (Eros and Thanatos) urges. The superego originates through identification with the individuals parents, functioning as an internal censor witch represses the dangerous urges of the id. The ego starts as part of the id but is more sensible as it has knowledge of the outside world. Unlike the id, the ego is dominated by the instinct to protect oneself. Although these three layers cannot be physically mapped out in the mind they do show how Freud constantly focused on the internal mind...
Sigmund Freud separated the mind into three parts, each having its own function. These are the Id, the Ego, and the Superego (Sigelman & Rider, 2009; pg.37).. Each of the three parts of the mind develops at a particular age and first to develop is the Id. When a baby is born its mind is bombarded by instinctual drives which are collectively called the Id. All the Id wants is to have its desires fulfilled and exists only for pleasure. The Id seeks immediate gratification and does not consider what is realistic nor does it ha...
Psychological Egoism is a claim that one’s own welfare is the governing aim that guides us in every action. This would mean that every action and decisions humans make come with an intention for self-benefit, and personal gain. The fundamental idea behind psychological egoism is that our self-interest is the one motive that governs human beings. This idea may be so deep within our morals and thought process that although one may not think selfishly, the intention of their action is representing to a degree of personal gains.
How does the brain cope? There are several methods in which the brain can cope in different situations. There are three parts of the coping brain: reptilian (survival), thinking (neocortex), and emotional (mammalian). The reptilian part of the brain deals with survival and brings out our instinctive side when hurt, threatened, when wanting to reproduce, or when angry. It allows the inner reptile take over and allow us to survive in a certain manner. The emotional pert of our brain is called the mammalian. Emotions can connect to memories and faces, for example, you like your best friend because they make you smile. You connect a negative feeling to a bully because they make you feel bad, so you avoid them. This is where the emotional part of
These three defense mechanisms allow the child to at least form an attachment bond with the caregivers, even if it is an unhealthy one. Denial is the refusal to accept the reality of things. Regression is when a child reverts to early stages of life such as thumb sucking. Dissociation is the separation of traumatizing events from memory. The use of these defense mechanisms short-term may serve as a protective barrier for the psyche and decrease the damaging effects of trauma. But long-term use will consequently lead to internal confusion and conflict (Hosier 1). Many children learn to use multiple defense mechanisms interchangeably to cope with complex trauma throughout their childhood.
The fight-or-flight response, also known as the acute stress response, refers to a physiological reaction that occurs in the presence of something that is terrifying, either mentally or physically. The fight-or-flight response was first described in the 1920s by American physiologist Walter Cannon. Cannon realized that a chain of rapidly occurring reactions inside the body help mobilize the body's resources to deal with threatening circumstances.
things that they would not ordinarily do. We have an instinct for survival in us that will
Freud’s two stages for the ego’s development are the internal and external ego. At first humans start off as the id. The id operates on what it wants and is not self-aware, so if it wants the breast, it will scream until it gets it. The first stage of the ego is self-awareness, but it only recognizes its own wants. The next stage of the ego is the separation between what is ours and what is not, and develops in the toddler years. At first the toddler operates on the pleasure principle, and the ego allows the child to obtain anything that gives him pleasure. The reality principle, however, interferes with the pleasure principle because it makes the ego realize that he cannot always get what pleasures him all the time.
!V. Conclusion. As humans we all have a flight or fight response that is activated when
Transference is when a client unconsciously projects onto their therapists past feelings, desires, expectation or attitudes they had toward their caregivers or significant people in their lives (Corey & et. al, 2011). Transference can originate from early childhood experiences and memories. The client is viewing the therapist in a distorted way. Instead of seeing the therapist as a professional, the clients see the therapist as a parent, or another significant person in their lives. Clients can come off as hostile and anger towards the therapist in a therapeutic session when a client displays negative transference (Corey & et. al, 2011). Transference can help the therapist understand the relationships that clients have had
Defense mechanism are a critical part of ego psychology. Used as a way to make reality a little less frightening, defense mechanism can be moderately adaptive, or damaging (Day, 2008). In order to...
Freud’s theory is based on the idea that ones personality is derived from conflicts that stem from both our conscious and unconscious mind. To better understand how these conflicts arise he divided the mind into theoretical categories which include the id, ego, and superego.
The fight or flight response is a physiological reaction to a perceived threat of danger, in which the body prepares itself to either fight or flee an attacker. During this response certain hormones are released, which speed the heart rate, slow digestion, and reroutes blood flow, in order to elicit the desired response of fight or flight.
The Oral Stage: This is the beginning process from birth where we use our mouth as our main source of interaction we use it for feeding and comfort such as savoring. If there is an error in this process dependency and aggression problems develops resulting in drinking, eating and smoking problems in the future. (Cherry (n.d))