Defense Mechanism in Freud’s Theory

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Denial
Rationalization
Displacement
Conclusion
Reference List

Introduction

Neurotic anxiety is one of the numerous disorders that are rather easy to detect yet require a complex set of measures to be vanquished. Freud (Hunt, 2007) made an assumption that fearing to face their demons, people create a mental block that prevents them from returning to the memories that trouble them. Calling the phenomenon under analysis a defense mechanism (Hunt, 2007), Freud identified a verity of strategies that are typically used subconsciously as the means of escaping reality and avoiding recalling the painful memories. Although the similarities between the strategies of denial, rationalization, and displacement are quite minor, teach of the approaches serves a very specific purpose.

Denial

By far the most common and just as primitive, denial as a defense mechanism implies that one should ignore the evidence of a specific fact and refuse to acknowledge the existence thereof (Cohen, 2013). Thus, the anxiety-producing reality is substituted with the environment, in which one feels most comfortable. For instance, a person abusing substances and having developed drug dependence may convince themselves that they do not have a problem and that they can quit at any time, while, in reality, they are incapable of even reducing the amount of substance consumed.

Rationalization

Although rationalization is often viewed as a form of denial, it is, nevertheless, much more intricate and complex than the approach described above. Instead of ignoring the obvious evidence of the necessity to change the situation, one seeks rational explanations for ignoring it. In other words, the person using rationalization as a shield from taking active measures to address the problem focuses on searching for the positive aspects thereof. As a result, the one adopting rationalization convinces themselves that the problem does not exist. For example, a woman married to a man who abuses her might convince herself that she needs to stay married since her children need a father figure.

Displacement

Another approach used to oust unpleasant information from one’s mind and focus on the one that seems less distressing, the strategy of displacement permits one to redirect strong feelings from one object to another in case the former is no longer in existence. Thus, the person carrying out the process of replacement no longer feels lonely or abandoned, therefore, building the relationships with the substitute that is identical to the ones with the original. Evidently flawed, the specified approach prevents one from experiencing new relationships and avoiding the mistakes made in the past (Koffmann & Walters, 2014).

For instance, the situation, in which a woman loses a child, gives birth to another one, and attempts to restore the environment, in which she communicated with her first son or daughter can be deemed as displacement. The gender of the child may be different, yet the mother will still foist specific behavioral patterns on the new one, therefore, creating a potentially dangerous situation. Particularly, the current child may feel pressured into building specific relationships as opposed to the ones that they consider natural. As a result, the development of a psychological disorder becomes a possibility.

Conclusion

Although the adoption of the strategies known as denial, repression, and displacement may provide temporary relief for the person applying them, they still do not help address the problem. Quite on the contrary, they often aggravate the situation, creating the foil for the development of further psychological issues. Therefore, identifying the source of the defense mechanism activation is the first step toward improving the health status of the patient.

Reference List

Cohen, J. (2013). States of denial: Knowing about atrocities and suffering. New York City, NY: John Wiley & Sons.

Hunt, M. (2007). The story of psychology (2nd ed.). New York City, NY: Anchor Books.

Koffmann, A., & Walters, M. G. (2014). Introduction to psychological theories and psychotherapy. Oxford: OUP.

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Defense Mechanism in Freud’s Theory

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