Defense Mechanisms

     When we get nervous, we tend to try to ease the conflict between our id and our superego. For example, when I am in the Phallic Stage, according to Freud's stupidity, I will want to marry my mother. So, my id wants to marry my mother, and my superego tells it that it is not a reality and not accepted in today's society. There is a conflict here between the id and the superego. To help ease this conflict, we tend to use different types of defense mechanisms.

      One mechanism we use is denial when you completely deny something. If you get hurt, you sometimes would tell people it is no big deal, even though it hurts a ton. Displacement is when you take out your anger on a less threatening target instead of reacting to the person who got you mad if they are a threatening target. For example, if an employee gets mad at his boss, he may come home and yell at his kid. Intellectualization is when we sometimes focus on the intellectual components of sad things. For example, if I am watching a sad movie, I may focus on the backgrounds and the directing of the film instead of the content. Projection is when we know something is negative about us so we tell other people that they have that negative quality. For example, if someone has no friends, they may tell many people, "you have no friends." Rationalization is when we explain things in a logical manner instead of explaining them the way they actually happened. It is like making excuses. For example, you may tell someone your girlfriend broke up with you because you didn't take out the trash, when really it is because you just suck. Reaction formation is when unacceptable emotions and impulses are mastered by exaggeration of the directly opposing tendency. For example, if you are gay, you may openly oppose gays a lot to relieve anxiety. Regression is a defense mechanism leading to the temporary or long-term reversion of the ego to an earlier stage of development rather than handling unacceptable impulses in a more adult way. For example, if it is my first day of school, I may get scared and suck my thumb. Repression is when we unconsciously throw things behind us. If someone got raped, they may repress that event. Sublimation is a defense mechanism where socially unacceptable impulses or idealizations are consciously transformed into socially acceptable actions or behavior, possibly converting the initial impulse in the long term. For example, I may become a firework specialist because I am secretly a pyromaniac. The last defense mechanism is suppression when you consciously try to throw things behind you. For example, if you saw your dad die, you will constantly try to suppress that memory.