DEFENCE MECHANISMS

Sometimes things happen to us, and we don’t know how to find or create efficient resolutions for them.  Over the years we might have learned ways to avoid dealing with problems either through watching others or by trial and error.  Our first goal is usually to protect ourselves from difficult emotions, threatening situations or unacceptable urges – not always with good results.

There are many defense mechanisms that you might recognize in this list:

1.    Denial is when you don’t even know that you are lying to yourself!  For example, you might have been victim of a crime and don’t even accept the fact that it occurred.
2.    Projection occurs when you assign your own unacceptable feelings or qualities to others.  A good example involves blaming another person for the things you are doing or thinking.
3.    Displacement happens when you take your negative feelings out on others who actually weren’t even involved in the situation that upset you.
4.    Minimization takes an event and acts as though it isn’t a big deal – when it actually is a big deal to someone else.
5.    Catastrophizing is the opposite.  Think about feeling a sore in your mouth that you are sure is the size of a grapefruit.  When you go to the mirror, however, you learn that it is so small you cannot even find it right away.
6.    Intellectualization separates thinking and feeling.  This is evidenced in situations where one talks and acts in a clinical manner instead of showing a natural, human response such as crying.
7.    Regression appears when an individual reverts to a younger developmental level.  When stressed, you might, for example, hug a teddy bear as you did in childhood.
8.    Rationalization is a way to inappropriately justify unacceptable feelings or situations.  You might response to denial of a mortgage application by stating that the house was too big anyway.
9.    Repression involves not remembering trauma by blocking it from your conscious mind.
10.    Reaction Formation replaces unwanted impulses with the opposite such as laughing about a serious relationship breakup instead of being sad.

There are many other defense mechanisms that can block or interfere with healthy functioning.  The first step to healing is awareness.  Look in the mirror and be honest with yourself.  Ask those who you trust for feedback.  Once you identify the things that you want to change you can begin learning new strategies to replace those that are not ideal.

We are each unique and wonderful creatures but there is always room for improvement if we are just bold enough to try!

Dr. Linda Hancock, the author of “Life is An Adventure…every step of the way” and “Open for Business Success” is a Registered Psychologist who has a private practice in Medicine Hat.  She can be reached at 403-529-6877or through email office@drlindahancock.com