SUBMITTED BY PIR DEDAR

SHAH
F2019141084
SUBMITTED TO MA’AM BEENISH
MUBEEN

DEFENSE
MECHANISMS
Sigmund Freud
Defense Mechanisms
Defense mechanism, in psychoanalytic theory, any of a group of mental processes that enables
the mind to reach compromise solutions to conflicts that it is unable to resolve. The process is
usually unconscious, and the compromise generally involves concealing from oneself internal
drives or feelings that threaten to lower self-esteem or provoke anxiety. The concept derives
from the psychoanalytic hypothesis that there are forces in the mind that oppose and battle
against each other. For example, if you are faced with a particularly unpleasant task, your mind
may choose to forget your responsibility in order to avoid the dreaded assignment. Anxiety is a
key concept in Freud's personality profile. He believed that people would try to ward of anxiety
in any way possible, whether it is conscious or unconsciously. In an effort to ward off anxiety
people, use methods called defense mechanisms. I will discuss a variety of defense mechanisms
and provide an example of each.

Repression: This is the main defense mechanism. What happens is the ego presses
unacceptable thoughts, impulses, feelings, and memories out of our awareness and into our
unconscious. Example 1: As a young child, Ali and his dad got an accident and Ali was watching
helplessly and his dad suddenly dead. Now 35 years old, he cannot remember a single thing
about this experience. Example 2 an individual who has been in a car accident does not
remember the event and develops a fear because of driving without knowing where the fear
stems from.

Rationalization: This is also a popular defense mechanism. The ego replaces an unacceptable
motive with a false but somewhat realistic explanation. Example 1: Sarah does not get into the
school that she wanted to. She tells herself that she did not work hard enough in high school and
if she had, she definitely would have gotten in. For example 2, a person who is turned down for a
date might rationalize the situation by saying they were not attracted to the other person anyway.
A student might blame a poor exam score on the instructor rather than his or her own lack of
preparation.

Displacement: The ego shifts feelings toward something that is considered unacceptable to
something that is more acceptable. Example: Rizwan is driving down the street and is cut off by
another car. The car speeds away so Rizwan hits the seat next to him in frustration. For example,
a person who feels that their boss has been unfair may also fear being fired if they complain or
express anger and as a result, they may later shout at a family member.

Sublimation: The ego replaces an unacceptable impulse with an acceptable one. You cannot
stop thinking about how angry you are with your boss after you were reprimanded at work.
Rather than quitting or getting into a shouting match with your boss, you decide to take the long
walk to your home after work. By the time you arrive, you are tired, but your anger has
decreased substantially Example: Tim who is extremely aggressive decides to enroll in a boxing
tournament.

Projection: The ego attributes personal shortcomings, faults, problems, and feelings to others
Example 1: WAQAS, with a strong desire to have an affair accuses his wife of flirting with

UNIVERSITY OF MANGEMENT AND TECHNOLOGY LAHORE

other men. Example 2: you might hate someone, but your superego tell you that such type of
hatred is unacceptable, you can solve the problem by believing that they hate you. For example, a
person who realizes that they are being aggressive during an argument may accuse the other
person of aggression. This deflects criticism away from himself or herself and onto the other
person.

Reaction Formation: The ego takes an unacceptable motive and changes it into its opposite
Example: waseem, who is afraid of his aggressive urges, decides to become a monk. For
example, a person may experience normal feelings of sadness or disappointment after a
relationship breaks down. If they feel that these emotions are unacceptable, they may publicly act
as if they are happy or unconcerned. Reaction formation can be a pattern of ongoing behavior.
For example, a person who feels that expressing anger or frustration toward a parent is
unacceptable may never react negatively to anything that their parent says or does, even when
this would be a normal response.

Denial: The ego refuses to acknowledge stress-causing realities. Example: Sana has been
diagnosed with lung cancer, but refuses to stop smoking or take his medication. One more
example if someone is addicted to smoking or drinking but when you ask them about that they
refuse from it.

Regression: The ego seeks the security that it previously had in an earlier developmental
period while in the face of stress. Example: Every time that Brian has trouble at work, he goes
to his favorite childhood spot on the beach. A young wife, for example, might retreat to the
security of her parents’ home after her first quarrel with her husband.

Identification: When someone tries to increase his or her self-esteem by forming an

imaginary or real alliance with some person or group. Example: IQRA is very insecure in
herself so she joins a sorority to bolster her self-esteem. For example: the baby is hungry, but the
breast of the mother is not available. Narcissistic identification has the role to replace the lost
object by introjection. Introjection implies that something is taken in from the object. The baby
internalizes the image of the breast and fantasizes about it.

UNIVERSITY OF MANGEMENT AND TECHNOLOGY LAHORE