To cope with what life throws at us, we develop ‘psychological defences’ – patterns of behaviour that can lessen our anxieties in response to what is going on. These defences are often automatic and unconscious but are vital in allowing us to get on with our lives.
Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, described psychological defence mechanisms that we all employ to protect ourselves from thoughts and experiences that could be psychologically damaging. For example, denial prevents us from thinking about unwanted, threatening or otherwise unpleasant situations or feelings. In everyday life, and in small doses, this can be useful – such as not dwelling on the pos sib le dangers when riding a motorcycle. A reasonable level of denial allows us to remain optimistic and able to cope in most circumstances. Sometimes, however, denial can be unhelpful: for example, when a heavy drinker won’t admit that he or she has a problem.
Another defence mechanism is repression – pushing down into the unconscious unacceptable fears or wishes. Again, in moderation, this is necessary for psychological survival. If we were constantly aware of all the traumas and tragedies that we have experienced, then we would find it hard to get on with our lives. Repression allows us to cope, even after traumatic events such as bereavement. As with denial, too much repression can be harmful, but most of the time, our minds are very good at protecting us, enabling us to forget past events and ‘ move on.
Other Freudian defence mechanisms include sublimation, projection, rationalisation and regression. ‘. sublimation is the redirection of unacceptable thoughts or impulses into acceptable actions: for example, going to the gym or digging the garden after an argument rather than venting the frustration on someone else. Projection is the means by which a person attributes their own unpleasant thoughts or impulses to another individual – for example, a parent who is afraid of heights might say to a child ‘ you won’t like that roller coaster, it will make you sick! ‘, thus avoiding the potentially unpleasant experience. In rationalisation, threatening ideas and explanations of behaviour are replaced by non-threatening ones – a persistent gambler might convince himself he is doing it to win money for his family. Finally, regression means reverting to an earlier stage of psychological development when under stress – in other words, becoming more child-like, such as an older child starting to act younger when a new baby arrives in order to get more of the parents’ attention.
