Contents
Our psyche is designed in such a way that it tries to suppress negative emotions and forget about traumatic events, but both of them haunt us at an unconscious level.
We can not think about the bad, try to get rid of memories, but the protective mechanism of the psyche stops our development – it is better not to try to suppress negative emotions in ourselves, but to understand their cause.
If some experiences haunt you, then there is a reason for that, do you think they will go away if you do not think about them? No matter how.
This compilation will help you better understand your psyche – there are 10 types of psychological protection that you need to realize.
Psychotherapists do just that – help their clients become aware of their defense mechanisms so that they free themselves and adequately respond to their surroundings.
10 Projection
The projection is that a person unconsciously tries to attribute his thoughts, feelings and desires to other people.
For example, a woman may think that others are looking at her and talking about her shortcomings – the fact is that she herself gossips, for example, about the shortcomings of her acquaintances with her friend, therefore, it seems to her that everyone is doing this.
This defense mechanism makes it possible to relieve oneself of responsibility for one’s own character traits that seem unacceptable.
For example, a man always suspects his wife of cheating because he wants to cheat on her.
9. crowding out
Repression is getting rid of unpleasant facts from your consciousness. A person tries to forget what causes him discomfort.
For example, a person consciously understands that something bad has happened – he was betrayed, for example, but he tries to find reasons because he does not want to believe that someone could betray him – such a good person.
In fact, no one thinks in this way: “I want to commit a betrayal”, except, of course, some people. It is done because people think only of themselves.
8. introjection
This is the ability of a person to appropriate other people’s orders, thoughts, rules of life, etc.
Perhaps this is due to the fact that a person has not learned to think independently, and in the family he was always under the control of his parents, who always pushed him around and said what was good and what was bad – without the right to choose.
It is not surprising that a person, growing up, will listen not to himself, but to those whom he considers to be authorities. A person takes everything on faith and does not try to comprehend what is said or done.
7. Rationalization
We are told that all problems are only in us, and come from us, but rationalists believe that not only they, or not at all, are to blame for the problems.
Rationalization is an attempt to find acceptable reasons for a failed situation. The purpose of such a defense mechanism is to maintain his high self-esteem and convince himself that the problem is not in him.
For example, a person who was not hired for a prestigious position will believe that he is not to blame.
For personal growth, of course, it is useful to take responsibility for what is happening on yourself.
A person who cannot get love from another can tell himself: “I don’t really need it, we wouldn’t have succeeded anyway.”
6. Merger
People break up because they have different attitudes to relationships and phenomena in them.
Merging is a defense mechanism in which there is only a total “we”.
It is most clearly expressed in the infant and the mother – the mother feels the needs of her newborn and always responds to them, in this case the fusion is quite healthy.
But when a woman and a man begin to live together, they cease to develop separately – they have common views, habits, values, because none of them thought about what each wants separately.
Partners lose their individuality, and soon passion leaves the relationship. One of them may one day want to break out of such a relationship.
5. Regression
Regression is a state when a person in a traumatic situation returns to his childish forms of behavior. These can be tears, emotional breakdowns, whims, etc.
On an unconscious level, we have all learned that this behavior guarantees us security and support from others.
Regression is an opportunity to throw off the burden of responsibility and throw it on another person – for example, your partner.
It is not recommended to abuse regression – you will not have a successful life strategy, and it will be difficult to establish normal relations with the people around you.
4. Denial
Denial is an illusion, an unwillingness to see the truth, a complete rejection of it. Thus, our psyche tries to protect itself from injury.
A woman can love some man, and even the obvious facts that he only uses her, and he is married and will never divorce his wife – she does not want to notice.
A woman believes that a man will one day divorce his wife and be with her, although all her acquaintances say that she is being used. She can even break off communication with those who do not support her in illusions.
3. Sublimation
Sublimation is that we suppress traumatic events in ourselves through creativity or playing sports.
Sublimation is not bad, we can say that such a mechanism is very productive – many directors, artists, writers are engaged in sublimation, and society receives brilliant works of art.
If you feel bad – try to draw, describe your condition, sing … This is much more useful than self-flagellation or being depressed.
2. Reactive state
A reactive state is when our thoughts change to completely opposite ones.
For example, you can change negative thoughts into positive ones or positive ones into negative ones – as a defense. It is the transformation of hatred into love, attachment into contempt, etc.
Reaction formation serves to eliminate the duality of our experience – we can offend the one to whom we feel gratitude or, conversely, say a kind word to the one to whom we feel hatred.
A reactive state is an exaggerated reaction to a subconscious prohibition. That is, it involves a subconscious barrier and a thought conflicting with it.
1. Catharsis
We are all human, we all know what suffering is. In order to weaken the psychotraumatic factor, we change our values.
In addition, we find those who suffer in order to drown out our own suffering at their expense.
People can go to work in shelters, in hospitals – in places where others suffer, in order to switch to them.
Thus, empathizing and helping others, we forget about our experiences and grief. Our mind is cleared of negative thoughts.