Protective mechanisms of the psyche

Our psyche is very complicated. The fact is that she not only takes the necessary information, but displaces the one, which for one reason or another falls into the category of unnecessary or even dangerous. Psychological defense mechanisms - this is what helps us to keep our minds unencumbered than horrible. Let's consider this in detail.

Protective mechanisms of the psyche

Let's start with displacement. It is understood as a process in which the course of our desires, feelings and thoughts excludes those that entail any suffering, unpleasant experiences, and so on. A typical example of this mechanism is that a person often forgets the duties that he does not want to perform. It is worth mentioning the unpleasant memories of the past, which can eventually be completely forgotten. In some cases, people forget even whole segments of life's paths.

There is also such a protective mechanism as projection. In this case, a person, not wishing to recognize certain negative features, ascribes them to someone else. Such protective mechanisms allow people to justify their actions, which are wrong. Often, with the help of projection, cruelty to someone justifies. How can this be understood? The fact is that a person inflicts pain on someone, and in the case of conscience, convinces himself that the object of his atrocities and himself causes a lot of pain to others.

Identification is nothing more than identifying yourself with someone. The individual studies someone and begins to behave the way this person behaves. In most cases, everything happens unconsciously. You can identify yourself not only with a single person, but, for example, with a group of people. Man imitates not only actions, but also experiences.

Introjection also refers to protective mechanisms. In this case, a person carries the features of one object to another, thereby compensating for the lack of the first. In certain cases, he can transfer these traits not to someone else, but to himself. As an example, it can be said that a child who has lost a kitten can behave in the course of time, behaved as his favorite.

In reactive transformation, the individual changes one mental state to another. In most cases this is done completely unconsciously, that is, unconsciously. Often, such protective mechanisms are used to hide their true attitude towards what is happening around them. As an example, it should be recalled that often under aggression people hide the most ordinary fear, and hatred can hide nothing more than love.

Self-restraint also applies to protection mechanisms. Life is arranged so that someone goes ahead, and someone lags behind. When a person begins to realize that he is not the best way to differentiate himself from all others, and his successes in this or that area are worth a little, his self-esteem begins to fall sharply. In order not to feel lagging behind, the individual simply switches to something else. In most cases, of course, it starts doing something more simple.

Cancellation is a psychic mechanism used to block any unpleasant thought or unnecessary feeling. Everything is built on the fact that a person, as it were, mends his guilt, doing something that can eliminate the cause of his conscience, or something like that.

In denial, the individual refuses to perceive information that he considers unacceptable and unpleasant for himself. In this case, he can come up with any excuses for what happened, write new versions of what happened and so on.

Displacement is the switching of attention to any foreign object in order not to perceive anything.