List of Defense Mechanisms
As human beings we have a variety of defense mechanisms we use when we feel threatened, vulnerable or are connecting with emotions or situations which cause us distress. Our defense system is otherwise known as the fight, flight, freeze response which typically gets activated when we are feeling powerlessness, rage or fear. Defense mechanisms are maladaptive coping skill we use when our internal system in our brain becomes activated (i.e. the amygdala) and communicates to our body (i.e. central nervous system) that our survival, whether real or imagined, is being threatened.
The following is a list of common defense mechanisms used:
- Blaming or Attacking Others – When our ego becomes threatened, we feel vulnerable and hurt, or we don’t want to admit our own short-comings or contributions to the problem, we try to cope with this pain by blaming or attacking others instead. For example, a husband blames and yells at his wife for not cleaning the house because he believes that if she does not care about him. Instead of sharing his vulnerability or needs clearly he attacks her and says, “You are a horrible wife and I made a mistake marrying you.”
- Rationalization – Subconscious justifications, excuses or reasoning given to make a behavior seem logical — “A student fails the final he didn’t study for and says… “I couldn’t have passed it anyway – that teacher has it in for me.”
- Reaction Formation – Over-compensation for fear of the opposite. When there are two conflicting parts in self-one is strengthened while the other is repressed. For example, someone may be extremely calm and relaxed, but may have a lot of repressed hostility and anger that they are unaware of on a conscious level.
- Excuses – Coming up with a list of reasons why a particular action occurred or examples of why action couldn’t be taken, instead of taking responsibility for behaviors and actions. “A professor arrives late to an appointment without completing the report by the agreed upon deadline and said, “There was so much traffic and my wife didn’t fill up the gas tank last night so I had to stop and get gas on the way. To top it off my son was running late this morning so I had to wait for him and I didn’t finish the report last night because my colleagues were behind on data collection.”
- Projection – Attempts to banish or “disown” unwanted and disliked thoughts, behaviors, and even “parts of self” by projecting or attributing them to someone else. May be as simple as blaming someone else – “He should have let me off on that ticket but that cop was trying to fill his monthly quota.”
- Introjection – The opposite of projection – subconsciously “takes in” to self an imprint (or recording) of another person including all their attitudes, messages, prejudices, expressions, even the sound of their voice, etc. This is healthy if the imprinted material is helpful advice, warnings, or other lessons from parents and respected others — unhealthy if shaming messages from parents, hatred, or aggression is turned inward on self.
- Deflection – When you change the subject and focus on someone or something else, instead of speaking about yourself. For example, when someone is asking about your behaviors in the relationship and you change the subject and focus on the negative behaviors of your spouse instead.
- Displacement – This defense reduces anxiety or pressure by transferring feelings toward one person to another — commonly known as “dumping on” someone. For example, a woman is mad her boss and kicks the dog when she gets home, or blows up and yells at her family.
- Regression – Giving up current level of development and going back to a prior level. For example, an older child is under stress and begins wetting the bed or sucking a thumb after a long period without that behavior.
- Simple Denial – Unpleasant facts, emotions, or events are treated as if they are not real or don’t exist. – For example, a man recently discovered that his wife is cheating on him, but he acts as though everything is normal and they are still trustworthy and faithful.
- Playing the Victim – To avoid dealing with the problem or feeling responsible for the situation, the victim finds it easier to make the other person the bad guy and believes that everything happens to them. They have difficulty taking any ownership for problems (i.e. the breakdown in the relationship) and are unable to acknowledge they have choices and can take action.
- Fantasy – Retreating into a dream world of times past.
- Suppression – Painful, frightening, or threatening emotions, memories, impulses or drives that are consciously pushed or “stuffed” inside.
- Identification – An ability available very early in life that children use to attach themselves to certain qualities, emotions, and attitudes of someone else especially between 8 and 13 during the modeling period.
- Conversion – Mental conflict converted to a physical symptom. For example, a soldier is being deployed for war; however feels conflicted because he desires serving his country, but believes it is wrong to kill and develops physical symptoms as a result.
- Anger and Intimidation – This is when a person deep down inside feels powerless and weak on some level and uses emotional intensity, threatens, intimidation and fear to get his/her needs met.
- Isolation – Separation of memory from emotion…can remember and talk about the trauma but feels no emotion — the Person talks about the incident as if it is someone else’s story.
- Sublimation – Redirection of impulses into socially acceptable activities — normal and healthy, such as when the sexual impulses of adolescence is channeled into sports and competition.
- Repression – Painful, frightening, or threatening emotions, memories, impulses or drives that are subconsciously pushed or “stuffed” deep inside.
For more information on how to break out of these defense mechanism patterns and begin redirecting that energy towards creating a fullfilling life, please contact True Potential Counseling for more details.
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