| Subject: Freud Ego-defense mechanisms |
Author:
Thalia
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Date Posted: 07:40:05 04/29/09 Wed
In reply to:
Thalia
's message, "7 errors in thinking method" on 07:02:38 04/29/09 Wed
AN ADAPTATION OF FREUD'S EGO-DEFENSE MECHANISMS TO SELF-ESTEEM ISSUES
COMPENSATION: This is the process of masking perceived negative self-concepts, or of developing positive self-concepts to make up for the perceived negative self-concepts. For example, if you think you are an idiot you may work at becoming physically more fit than others to make up for this shortcoming.
DENIAL: This is the subconscious or conscious process of blinding yourself to negative self-concepts that you believe exist, but that you do not want to deal with. It is "closing your eyes" to the negative self-concepts about people, places, or things that you find too severe to deal with. For example, a family may pretend and act as if the father is only sick when it is obvious that he is an alcoholic.
DISPLACEMENT: This is when you express feelings to a substitute target because you are unwilling to express them to the real target. And the feelings expressed to the substitute target are based on your negative self-concepts about the real target. "Crooked anger" or "dumping" on another are examples of displacement. In these examples, you let out your anger and frustration about the negative self-concepts you are feeling about someone else on a safer target: such as someone below you, someone dependent on you, or someone under your control.
IDENTIFICATION: This is the identification of yourself with heroes, stars, organizations, causes, religions, groups, or whatever you perceive as good self-concepts. This is a way to think of yourself as good self-concepts. For example, you may identify with a crusade to help starving children so that you can incorporate into your ego some of the good self-concepts associated with that crusade.
INTROJECTION: This is the acceptance of the standards of others to avoid being rated as negative self-concepts by their standards. For example, you may uncritically accept the standards of your government or religion in order to be accepted as good self-concepts by them.
PROJECTION: This is the attribution to others of your own negative self-concepts. This occurs when you want to avoid facing negative self-concepts about your behaviors or intentions and you do so by seeing them, instead, in other people. For example, you may be mad at your spouse and think, instead, that they are mad at you.
RATIONALIZATION: This is the process of explaining why, this time, you do not have to be judged as negative self-concepts because of your behaviors or intentions. It is sometimes referred to as "sour grapes" when, for example, you rationalize that you do not want something that you did not get because "it was lousy anyway." Rationalization can also take the opposite tack or what is sometimes referred to as the "sweet lemon." In this case, you justify, for example, an error in purchasing by extolling some of the insignificant good points of the product.
REACTION FORMATION: This is the process of developing conscious positive self-concepts in order to cover and hide opposite, negative self-concepts. It is the making up for negative self-concepts by showing off their reverse. For example, you may hate your parents, but you go out of your way to show care and concern for them.
REGRESSION: This is the returning to an earlier time in your life when you were not so threatened with becoming negative self-concepts. You return to thoughts, feelings, and-or behaviors of an earlier developmental stage in order to identify yourself as you used to back then. For example, you may be being criticized as an adult and feeling horrible about it. And to escape this, you revert back to acting like a little child because you did not own criticism then as meaning you were negative self-concepts.
REPRESSION: This is the unconscious and seemingly involuntary removal from awareness of the negative self-concepts that your ego finds too painful to tolerate. For example, you may completely block out thoughts of killing a parent. This is not the same as suppression, which is also the removal from consciousness of intolerable negative self-concepts--but by conscious choice.
RITUAL AND UNDOING: This is the process of trying to undo negative self-concept ratings of yourself by performing rituals or behaviors designed to offset the behaviors that the negative ratings of you were based on. For example, a millionaire might give to charities for the poor to make up for profiting from the poor. Or, a parent may buy their child a lot of gifts to make up for not spending time with them.
SUBLIMATION: This is the process of diverting your feelings about the negative self-concepts that you have of yourself or others into more socially acceptable activities. For example, if you generally hate people, you might be an aggressive environmental activist, an aggressive political activist, or join a fighting army. This way you can get some approval for the feelings that you disapprove of.
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