Defense Mechanisms: Anna Freud

Anna Freud she was a very important psychologist and researcher in the middle of the last century. His theory of mind and psychoanalysis was greatly influenced by his father, Sigmund Freud. However, his contributions to psychology redefined some very important concepts, among these concepts we highlight the defense mechanisms of the self.

Known as "the barriers to face reality"Defense mechanisms are the strategies our subconscious has to avoid resolving conflicts in our daily lives and not face the effort that this entails. Do you want to know more about the theory of the defense mechanisms of Anna Freud? Then we recommend you continue reading this interesting article on Psychology-Online.

Index

1. What are the personality defense mechanisms
2. The main defense mechanisms: 10 examples
3. How to work the defense mechanisms?

Before getting into the defense mechanisms, it is important to put the moment and the theories that were on the rise as context:

This current is famous for defining the concepts of conscious and unconscious mind, according to Freud's iceberg theory, conscious mind contains all of our lucid thoughts and perceptions while the unconscious it is the submerged part of our mind, where repressed thoughts and less rational impulses are found. Another well-known theory of Sigmund Freud is known as "The id, the self and the superego"in which it defines three strata of the individual:

• The It is defined as the expression of our impulses and desires
• The Me is the mediator, tries to enjoy and satisfy the needs of the It but without breaking the rules of the Superego
• The Superego It is the set of moral values ​​and beliefs in which we project the best version of ourselves.

Anna Freud se based on psychoanalytic theories to formulate his own principles in psychology and make his own contributions. According to Anna Freud theory, the Me is defined as a space in which we observe everything that happens in the It and the Superego.

Definition of the defense mechanisms of the ego

Now that you know how the psychoanalysis theoryIt is time to define defense mechanisms. As we revealed at the beginning of this article, these mechanisms are a set of unconscious reactions that protect us from conflicts between It and the Superego. They are part of the so-called basic adjustment techniques, these techniques seek psychological balance and mediate between the environment and our mental processes.

To understand us better, a defense mechanism such as the denial you can act as follows:

• An alcoholic who denies his addiction and says that drinking alcohol does not have a negative impact on his health- The It feels a strong need to drink alcohol and, in order not to face the Super-ego, it denies the negative impact of the addiction.

Next, we are going to present a list with the main defense mechanisms and their examples in everyday life:

1. Repression

Process by which an unacceptable impulse or idea becomes unconscious. The individual rejects ideas, thoughts and memories to keep them in the unconscious.

• Example: A child experiences a traumatic memory in childhood and represses it in such a way that, as the years go by, she comes to forget it and thus avoids facing that experience.

2. Regression

A return to earlier forms of psychic functioning, regression can be understood within the framework of evolutionary psychology as a step back in development.

• Example: an adult person who does not want face a divorce and he begins to behave like a teenager (partying, drinking excessively, having immature sexual behavior ...)

3. Reactive training

It is defined as the process by which an unacceptable impulse or desire is controlled by the exaggeration of the opposite tendency.

• Example: Instead of telling your partner that you have done something bad for the relationship, you shower them with surprises and gifts in order not to face reality.

4. Retroactive cancellation

This defense mechanism is understood as the process by which the person behaves as if a previous idea or action that is threatening had not taken place. (akin to denial and repression)

5. Introjection

Process by which the person places within himself what is actually outside. In this defense mechanism, threats from the outside are internalized in order to try to control their effect on our mental stability.

• Example: by introjecting a person (and thus believing that we have control over his actions) reduces the anxiety that we get away from him.

6. Projection

This defense mechanism of the self is known as the process by which the person places outside of himself, in another person or thing, feelings, desires or characteristics of himself. In this way, you avoid changing that element of his behavior and / or personality.

• Example: a person who feels insecure about her body can project that insecurity by reproaching that same feeling in that person. "You are too insecure!"- When in reality the insecure person is not the one indicated but he or she.

7. Sublimation

Process by which an instinct (sexual or aggressive component) is derived towards a different end. When an individual sublimates an instinct, he substitutes her motivation and redirects it towards a more socially accepted activity.

• Example: a person is carrying out sublimation when he substitutes his sexual drive for some cultural or intellectual activity (creating art, reading, writing ...)

8. Isolation

Process by which the person isolate a thought or event, thus breaking his connections with the rest of his experiences and thus preventing it from being part of his meaningful experience.

9. Displacement

We define displacement as the defense mechanism of the self by which the unconscious mind redirects the emotions produced by a circumstance to another object, person or situation.

• Example: when a child is attacked at school and displaces her anger by attacking other children at school.

10. Turning against itself and transformation into its opposite

They start from the idea that instincts are capable of undergoing a transformation. (sadism-masochism, voyeurism-exhibitionism). This defense mechanism can be observed in cases such as

As we can well see, the defense mechanisms they are not adaptive psychological techniques For our mental health, this is because the problem is not solved, rather it is pushed aside or blocked so that the conflict remains unresolved.

In order to resolve a conflict and reduce psychological consequences of a stressful or negative event, we can promote and work on the following aspects:

• Development of social skills
• Promotion of assertive communication
• Problem coping therapy
• Improvement of coping strategies

This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to Defense Mechanisms: Anna Freud, we recommend that you enter our category of Basic psychology.

• Freud, A., & Carcamo, C. AND. (1961). The self and defense mechanisms (Vol. 3). Barcelona: Paidós.