How You Survived:  Defense Mechanisms

We have defense mechanisms to protect ourselves. They are often instinctive actions that are in response to perceived threat or inadequacy, and you use them to reduce the distress and anxiety you feel. Unfortunately, with trauma and chronic stressful situations, these once adaptive things can become maladaptive and unhealthy when out of balance. There are ways to heal the trauma and make changes to bring them back into balance.

What are Defense Mechanisms?

When we are in stressful and distressing situations, we learn to cope in various ways to deal with our reality. They are things we do to make ourselves feel safe or soothe ourselves from the pain we feel inside ourselves. Unfortunately, we may continue to use these less adaptive forms to cope even when the danger is over and more adaptive coping mechanisms are available. We hold onto these things because they were the difference between survival and losing the fight. They often have become a habit, so we don’t realize we are doing them anymore if, at one point, we did it intentionally.

Defense mechanisms are conscious or unconscious strategies for protecting oneself from anxious thoughts or feelings. They help us rationalize pain, numb pain, and deal with uncomfortable emotions. Unfortunately, defense mechanisms can also prevent us from really living. However, defense mechanisms aren’t inherently bad—they can allow people to navigate painful experiences or channel their energy more productively. They become problematic, however, when applied too frequently or for too long.

Common Defense Mechanisms

Denial

Denial is one of the most common defence mechanisms. It is the refusal to accept reality or the facts. When in denial, you may block external events or circumstances from your mind so you don’t have to deal with the emotional impact. It protects you from things you cannot face or admit. It may reduce anxiety and distress in the short term, but in the long term, it prolongs stress.

For example, a person with a substance misuse problem may deny the problems their habit causes.

Repression

Repression is when you unconsciously keep feelings, thoughts, or memories out of awareness to protect yourself from associated fears and anxiety. This defense mechanism is unintentional but can negatively impact your life. The repressed memories will remain in your subconscious mind and influence your behaviour and emotions.

For example, someone with childhood trauma may have trouble trusting others despite not remembering the memory that caused the lack of trust.

Projection

Projection is when you misattribute your unacceptable qualities, behaviours, or feelings to someone else. It works by allowing the expression of the desire, feeling, or impulse in a way that reduces your responsibility. It is more common with people who lack self-awareness of their emotions and motivations.

For example, a person might accuse someone else of not being smart if they fear that their own lack of smartness will be discovered.

Displacement

Displacement is when you direct strong emotions or frustrations towards someone or something that doesn’t feel as threatening. It allows you to release your frustration in a way that doesn’t risk significant consequences.

For example, getting angry at your spouse because you had a bad day at work is safer than risking blowing up at your boss and losing your job.

Regression

Regression is when you unconsciously escape to an earlier stage of development when you feel threatened or anxious. Children can regress to a younger age, and adults can regress by connecting with a cherished stuffed animal or comfort foods or engaging in habits from a younger age. They may avoid everyday activities due to feeling overwhelmed.

For example, you may refuse to leave your bed and start your day where you felt safe and secure as a child.

Rationalization

Rationalization is when you try to explain undesirable behaviours with your own set of facts, logic, or reasoning without facing the true reasons for your behaviour. It allows you to feel comfortable with your choices and behaviours.

For example, a student may blame the instructor for a poor exam grade rather than admit they didn’t study enough.

Sublimation

Sublimation is when you avoid acting out unacceptable impulses by converting those behaviours into a more acceptable form to avoid causing further problems.

For example, you may take out your frustrations with someone else in a kickboxing class or an intense run.

Reaction Formation

Reaction formation occurs when you recognize how you feel or think but choose to behave in the opposite manner of your instincts. This is a way to hide your true feelings. It is most often used by those who are out of touch with their own feelings or impulses.

For example, you may treat someone you strongly dislike amicably to hide how you really feel.

Compartmentalization

Compartmentalization is when you separate your life into independent sectors to avoid anxiety and distress. It involves blocking awareness of certain parts of your personality or ways you are not living up to your values.

For example, you may value honesty in your personal relationships but cheat on your taxes.

Intellectualization

Intellectualization is when you think about events in a cold, clinical way to reduce anxiety and distress. It allows you to avoid thinking about the stressful, emotional aspect of the situation by focusing only on the intellectual component.

For example, after a recent diagnosis, you may focus on learning everything about a disease to avoid distress and distance yourself from the reality of how it will change your life.

Suppression

Suppression is when you purposely repress information to force the unwanted information out of your awareness. This is a way of deciding not to think about disturbing concepts or memories to avoid feelings of anxiety or guilt. Suppression is often helpful for focusing on another task until you are able to deal with what is disturbing you. It becomes a problem when you don’t return to what you are suppressing and start to suppress more. This can result in various symptoms, including chronic pain.

For example, you may have had an argument with your spouse before going to work, so you suppress what happened so you can focus on your job.

Acting Out

Acting out is when you engage in action instead of acknowledging and bearing certain feelings. It may be used to release the tension of feelings you can’t identify or don’t know how to express.

For example, you may punch a wall when angry and frustrated about circumstances at home.

Aim Inhibition

Aim inhibition is when you accept a revised form of your original goal. It is about accepting that you are not going to achieve your original aspiration and adapting it to something more realistic that still feels meaningful or fulfilling.

For example, someone who wanted to play a sport professionally may decide to become a coach in that sport.

Altruism

Altruism is satisfying your internal needs by helping others. By shifting your focus to the well-being of others, you alleviate your internal stress or insecurity. When done out of balance, you may give to others at the expense of your own well-being or financial security.

For example, you may be constantly giving people rides or providing food while not saving for retirement or a rainy day.

Avoidance

Avoidance is when you refuse to think about or deal with people, places, or situations that cause anxiety or guilt. This defense mechanism is common with those suffering from PTSD as they attempt to reduce symptoms associated with their trauma. Avoidance can be temporarily helpful, but it ignores the problem and could lead to further problems.

For example, someone who had a bad experience of being stuck in an elevator may avoid elevators to reduce the associated anxiety.

Compensation

Compensation is when you put more effort and focus on other aspects or areas to make up for your weaknesses. This can be used to maintain self-confidence when faced with weaknesses.

For example, if you feel insecure about your skills, you may try to compensate by working harder than others.

Dissociation

Dissociation is when you mentally and emotionally disengage yourself from the present moment or situation. It is a way of disconnecting from reality and ignoring the anxiety and distress associated with that reality.

For example, when someone gets overwhelmed, they may shut down and become numb to protect themselves from the distress.

Fantasy

Fantasy is when you avoid reality by retreating to a safe place in your mind where the stress cannot harm you. For example, if you’re struggling with chronic pain, you may imagine going on vacation and not experiencing pain.

Humour

Humour is when you point out a situation’s funny or ironic aspects or make a funny joke when stressed. It can release some of the anxiety or tension of the current situation. For example, when stuck in an elevator with strangers, you may make a joke to cut the tension.

Passive-aggression

Passive aggression is when you engage in an indirect expression of anger. This may include giving someone the silent treatment. For example, you may instead of confronting someone, just avoid them or not answer.

Undoing

Undoing is when you try to make up for hurtful behaviour, feelings, thoughts, or impulses in an effort to reduce the guilt you feel. For example, you may offer compliments to someone you unintentionally insulted.

Displacement

Displacement is when you redirect feelings or impulses about one person toward another less-threatening person. This defense mechanism is ineffective because it tends to cause new problems with the person you are directing feelings or impulses towards.

For example, a person angry at their boss may displace that anger towards their spouse.

How Can Defense Mechanisms Be Changed?

Defense mechanisms can be changed. They are ways to protect yourself when your nervous system perceives danger. We can modify them through cognitive changes and by treating the root causes and needs behind their use. For example, suppose you are using the defense mechanism of compensation to deal with low self-confidence. In that case, you may no longer need the defense mechanism of compensation if you gain more self-confidence.

Purpose of the Defense Mechanisms and Curiosity About It

The first step in modifying defense mechanisms is identifying them and their purpose. Are they coming from past trauma, unmet needs, or insecurities? Realize and bring compassion to the fact that your defense mechanisms are efforts that you are making to protect yourself. If you’ve learned ineffective methods to deal with the root causes, it doesn’t mean you can’t learn better methods.

Identify the Root Causes

By identifying the root causes, you can determine what you need to add to your life and what is missing and heal the wounds that caused the need for the defence mechanism. From there, you can modify the beliefs that were caused by the wounds.

Changing Defense Mechanisms

EMDR

Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing (EMDR) can be very effective for desensitizing and reprocessing the memories behind traumatic symptoms, including defense mechanisms due to past trauma. It can integrate the fragments of traumatic memories into adaptive memory networks and help to adjust beliefs based on traumatic experiences to be more adaptive and accurate. With the reprocessing of trauma memories, the defense mechanism connected to those memories is much less likely to be triggered, and your response will be more based on what is happening in the present moment.

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and Schema Therapy

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) and Schema Therapy can identify defense mechanisms, understand how you operate and the reasons behind them, and change them into more functional thought processes and behaviours over time.

Conclusion

We have defense mechanisms to protect ourselves. These mechanisms are often instinctive actions taken in response to perceived threats or inadequacies, and we use them to reduce distress and anxiety. However, there are ways to heal the wounds and trauma behind these defence mechanisms and make adaptive changes that build us toward a better future.