Defense Mechanisms

Question 1

What are 4 important points in the view of the person of freud?

Answer 1

View of the Person

 Human nature is under the “dictatorship” of instinctual, unconscious, and irrational forces

 Human organisms are selfish beings, existing in a state of external and internal turmoil (displaying aggressive and sexual excesses)

 Dominated by forces outside of conscious control

 Humans are considered incapable of dealing with their own psychological problems

Question 2

Describe Freuds opinion of determinism.

Answer 2

 All behavior is determined or caused by some force within the person

 Behavior has meaning (none occurs by chance)

 Biological determinism vs. Psychological determinism - Freud emphasized psychological rather than biological “consciousness knows nothing of. . . neurons.”

 Simplest examples of human behavior can be traced to psychological factors of which the person may be totally unaware. (Freudian Slips)

Question 3

Describe the 3 levels of awareness according to freud.

Answer 3

 Conscious

o Current contents of your mind that you actively think of
o What we call working memory
o Easily accessed all the time

 Preconscious
o Contents of the mind you are not currently aware of
o Thoughts, memories, knowledge, wishes, feelings
o Available for easy access when needed

 Unconscious
o Contents kept out of conscious awareness
o Not accessible at all
o Processes that actively keep these thoughts from awareness

Question 4

Describe the 3 freudian components of personality.

Answer 4

 The Id

o According to Freud, we are born with our Id. The id is an important part of our personality because as newborns, it allows us to get our basic needs met. Freud believed that the id is based on our pleasure principle. In other words, the id wants whatever feels good at the time, with no consideration for the reality of the situation.

 The Ego
o Within the next three years, as the child interacts more and more with the world, the second part of the personality begins to develop. Freud called this part the Ego. The ego is based on the reality principle. The ego understands that other people have needs and desires and that sometimes being impulsive or selfish can hurt us in the long run. It’s the ego’s job to meet the needs of
the id, while taking into consideration the reality of the situation

 The Superego

o By the age of five, or the end of the phallic stage of development, the Superego develops. The Superego is the moral part of us and develops due to the moral and ethical restraints placed on us by our caregivers. Many equate the superego with the conscience as it dictates our belief of right and wrong.

Question 5

Describe the Oral stage. What is the libidinal zone. Libidinal objective. Developmental challenges. Mental defense mechanisms evoked.

Answer 5

 Oral (birth to 1 year)

o Libidinal Zone = mouth, thumb

o Libidinal Objective = mother’s breast, own body

o Developmental Challenges = passive incorporation of all good through mouth; autoerotic sensuality

o Mental Defense Mechanism Evoked = denial, repression, regression, and introjection-incorporation

Question 6

Describe the Anal stage. What is the libidinal zone. Libidinal objective. Developmental challenges. Mental defense mechanisms evoked.

Answer 6

 Anal (2-3 years)

o Libidinal Zone = anus, bowels
o Libidinal Objective = own body
o Developmental Challenges = active self-soothing and self-mastery; passive submission
o Mental Defense Mechanism Evoked = symbolization, displacement, reaction formation

Question 7

Describe the phallic stage. What is the libidinal zone. Libidinal objective. Developmental challenges. Mental defense mechanisms evoked.

Answer 7

 Phallic (3-6 years)

o Libidinal Zone = genitals

o Libidinal Objective = mother for boy; father for girl

o Developmental Challenges = Oedipus and Electra conflicts; identification

with same-sex parent; ambivalence of love relationships

o Mental Defense Mechanism Evoked = projection, over-compensation,

rationalization

Question 8

Describe the latency stage. What is the libidinal zone. Libidinal objective. Developmental challenges. Mental defense mechanisms evoked.

Answer 8

 Latency (6-11 years)

o Libidinal Zone = none

o Libidinal Objective = largely repressed

o Developmental Challenges = repression of pregenital forms of libido; learning shame and disgust for inappropriate love objects

o Mental Defense Mechanism Evoked = sublimation, restitution, atonement, isolation, idealization

Question 9

Describe the genital stage. What is the libidinal zone. Libidinal objective. Developmental challenges. Mental defense mechanisms evoked.

Answer 9

o Libidinal Zone = genital primacy

o Libidinal Objective = sexual partner

o Developmental Challenges = sexual intimacy and reproduction

Question 10

According to Freud’s personality theory, what are the basic forces that motivate personality? How are these forces expressed? What does the individual constantly desire? Why does conflict arise? Why do we develop defense mechanisms and how do they help?

Answer 10

 Basic forces that motivate personality Eros (life and sex) and Thanatos (death andaggression)

o These forces are instincts that are expressed in
 Fantasies 
 Desires 
 Thoughts 
 Actions 

 The individual constantly desires
o IMMEDIATE GRATIFICATION

 As a result inevitable conflict arises

 In order to protect ourselves we develop defense mechanisms

o Defense mechanisms keep us from being conscious of our inner drive

o Also keep us from feeling anxious and guilty about our drive to break societal and parental rules

Question 11

What are George Vaillant: Four Levels of Defenses? When do defene mechanisms become pathological?

Answer 11

 Level 1 – pathological defenses

 Level 2 – immature defenses

 Level 3 – neurotic defenses

 Level 4 – mature defenses

 Defense mechanisms become pathological only when it leads to maladaptive behaviors that affect our mental health

Question 12

Describe 7 pathological defenses.

Answer 12

 Delusional Projection - attributing non-reality based thoughts onto others

 Psychotic Denial - refusal to accept reality because it is too threatening, arguing that an anxiety stimuli does not exist because it is too much to cope with

 Distortion - a significant reshaping of reality to meet one’s needs

 Conversion - the expression of intra-psychic conflict in physical ways

 Splitting - compartmentalizing opposite affective states and failing to integrate the positive and negative aspects into a whole. This results in our images of self and other as alternating between polar opposites

 Superiority Complex - inflated feelings of superiority to hide feelings of inferiority

 Inferiority Complex - behavior that is self-defeating which is reflective of tremendous feelings of inferiority

Question 13

Describe 5 immature defenses.

Answer 13

 Fantasy – a tendency to retreat into our fantasy world to order to resolve conflict

 Acting Out – performing an extreme behavior in order to express an emotion they feel they otherwise cannot

 Projection – anxiety-arousing impulses are externalized by placing them, or projecting them, onto others (a person’s inner threats are attributed to those around them)

 Passive Aggression – aggression expressed towards other indirectly or passively

 Idealization – tending to perceive an individual as having more positive attributes than they actually do

Question 14

Describe 8 neurotic defenses.

Answer 14

 Denial – refusing to acknowledge anxiety-provoking stimuli (Not usually seen in adults except in such of severe stress or pain)

 Regression – a return to an earlier safer stage of our lives (i.e. Anxious adult who begins whimpering like a child searching for maternal care or a distraught man may try to curl up to his wife’s breast)

 Repression – attempting to move a desire into unconsciousness in order to prevent ourselves from being aware of it

 Displacement – shifting of the target of one’s unconscious fears or desires

 Dissociation – mentally distancing oneself from the environment to avoid something painful
o Compartmentalization less severe form

 Reaction Formation – doing the opposite of unwanted impulses

 Rationalization – “After the fact” logical explanations for behaviors that were actually driven by internal unconscious motives

 Intellectualization – dealing with emotions by using overly complex thinking/abstract reasoning to control or minimize feelings

Question 15

Describe 8 mature defenses.

Answer 15

 Sublimation – transforming of dangerous urges into positive, socially acceptable motivations (i.e. Freud argued that Leonardo Da Vinci’s genius arose from his sublimation of sexual energies into a passion for scientific creativity and discovery)

 Compensation – counterbalancing perceived weaknesses in one area by emphasizing strength in other areas

 Affiliation – turning to others for support

 Self-assertion – being able to express one’s own opinions and needs without being aggressive, coercive, or manipulative

 Altruism – dealing with stressors by dedicating oneself to helping others

 Self-observation – reflecting on one’s thoughts, feelings, behaviors then responding appropriately

 Suppression – dealing with stressors by intentionally avoiding thinking about the disturbing emotions, feelings, or behaviors

 Anticipation – dealing with stressors by anticipating the possible outcomes and consequences of events and planning accordingly – considering realistic solutions