The concept of the mechanisms of psychological defense was formed within the framework of the psychoanalytic trend in psychology. Psychological defense consists of a number of specific methods of processing experiences that neutralize the pathogenic effect that these experiences can have. The concept of psychological defense was introduced by Freud and developed by his daughter A. Freud. The most common definition of Tashlykov: protective mechanisms are "adaptive mechanisms aimed at reducing pathogenic emotional stress, protecting against painful feelings and memories and further development of psychological and physiological disorders." All defense mechanisms have two common characteristics: 1) they are usually unconscious, 2) they distort, deny or falsify reality. Psychological defense mechanisms vary in maturity. The most infantile, immature mechanisms are considered to be repression and denial - they are characteristic of young children, as well as for the most socially immature type of personality - hysterical. Adolescence is more characterized by mechanisms that occupy an intermediate position in terms of maturity: identification and isolation. The most mature defense mechanisms include sublimation, rationalization, and intellectualization. The following psychological defense mechanisms are more often described.

1. Crowding out. The mechanism of repression was described by Freud, who considered it central in the formation of neurotic disorders. Repression is a psychological defense mechanism by which impulses (desires, thoughts, feelings) unacceptable to the individual that cause anxiety become unconscious. The repressed (suppressed) impulses, not finding resolution in behavior, nevertheless retain their emotional and psycho-vegetative components. During repression, the content side of the psychotraumatic situation is not realized, and the emotional stress caused by it is perceived as unmotivated anxiety.

2. Denial - psychological defense mechanism, which consists in denial, unawareness (lack of perception) of any psycho-traumatic circumstance. As an outward process, "denial" is often contrasted with "repression" as a psychological defense against internal, instinctive demands and urges. As a psychological defense mechanism, denial is realized in any external conflicts and is characterized by a pronounced distortion of the perception of reality, when an individual does not perceive information that contradicts his basic attitudes, ideas about the world and himself.

3. Reactive formations. This type of psychological defense is often identified with hypercompensation. Reactive formations include the replacement of "Ego" - unacceptable tendencies with directly opposite ones. For example, a child's exaggerated love for one of the parents may be a transformation of a socially unacceptable feeling of hatred towards him. Pity or caring can be seen as reactive formations in relation to unconscious callousness, cruelty or emotional indifference.

4. Regression - return to an earlier stage of development or to more primitive forms of behavior, thinking. For example, hysterical reactions such as vomiting, finger sucking, baby talk, excessive sentimentality, preference for "romantic love" and neglect of sexual relations in an adult person come into play when the "Ego" is unable to accept reality as it is. Regression, like reactive formations, characterizes an infantile and neurotic personality.

5. Insulation- separation of affect from intellectual functions. Unpleasant emotions are blocked in such a way that the connection between a certain event and its emotional experience does not appear in consciousness. In its phenomenology, this psychological defense mechanism resembles alienation syndrome in psychiatry, which is characterized by the experience of loss of emotional connection with other people.

6. Identification - protection from a threatening object by identifying oneself with it. So, a little boy unconsciously tries to be like his father, whom he is afraid of, and thereby earn his love and respect. Thanks to the mechanism of identification, the symbolic possession of an unattainable but desirable object is also achieved. Identification can occur with almost any object - another person, animal, inanimate object, idea, etc.

7. Projection. The projection mechanism is based on the process by which feelings and thoughts that are unconscious and unacceptable to the individual are localized outside and attributed to other people. An aggressive person is inclined, evaluating himself as a sensitive, vulnerable and sensitive person, to attribute aggressive traits to others, projecting responsibility for socially unapproved aggressive tendencies onto them. Examples of hypocrisy are well known, when an individual constantly ascribes to others his own immoral aspirations.

8. Substitution (shift). The action of this protective mechanism is manifested in a kind of "discharge" of suppressed emotions, usually hostility and anger, directed at the weaker, defenseless (animals, children, subordinates). In this case, the subject may perform unexpected, in some cases meaningless actions that resolve internal tension.

9. Rationalization- a pseudo-reasonable explanation by a person of his desires, actions, in fact caused by reasons, the recognition of which would threaten the loss of self-respect. The most striking manifestations of the rationalization mechanism are called "sour grapes" and "sweet lemon". The "sour grape" defense consists in devaluing the unattainable, lowering the value of what the subject cannot obtain. The “sweet lemon” type of defense aims not so much to discredit an inaccessible object as to exaggerate the value of what a person really possesses. Rationalization mechanisms are most often used in situations of loss, protecting against depressive experiences.

10. Sublimation- psychological protection through desexualization of the initial impulses and their transformation into socially acceptable forms of activity. Aggressiveness can be sublimated in sports, eroticism in friendship, exhibitionism in the habit of wearing bright, catchy clothes.

Psychological protection- these are unconscious processes occurring in the psyche, aimed at minimizing the impact of negative experiences. Protective tools are the basis of resistance processes. Psychological defense, as a concept, was first voiced by Freud, who initially meant by it, first of all, repression (active, motivated elimination of something from consciousness).

The functions of psychological defenses are to reduce the confrontation that occurs within the personality, relieve tension due to the confrontation of the impulses of the unconscious and the accepted requirements of the environment that arise as a result of social interaction. By minimizing such conflict, safety mechanisms regulate human behavior, increasing its adaptive capacity.

What is psychological protection?

The human psyche is characterized by the ability to protect itself from negative surroundings around or internal influences.

The psychological defense of the individual is present in every human subject, but varies in intensity.

Psychological protection guards the mental health of people, protects their "I" from the impact of stressful influences, increased anxiety, negative, destructive thoughts, from confrontations leading to poor health.

Psychological defense as a concept appeared in 1894 thanks to the famous psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, who came to the conclusion that the subject can show two different response impulses to unpleasant situations. He can either keep them in a conscious state, or distort such circumstances in order to reduce their scope or deflect them in a different direction.

All protective mechanisms are characterized by two features that connect them. First of all, they are unconscious. activates protection spontaneously, not understanding what he is doing. Secondly, the main task of protective tools is the maximum possible distortion of reality or its absolute denial, so that the subject ceases to perceive it as disturbing or unsafe. It should be emphasized that often human individuals use several protection mechanisms simultaneously to protect their own person from unpleasant, threatening events. However, such a distortion cannot be considered deliberate or exaggerated.

At the same time, despite the fact that all available protective acts are aimed at protecting the human psyche, preventing it from falling into, helping to endure stressful effects, they often cause harm. The human subject cannot constantly exist in a state of renunciation or blaming others for his own troubles, replacing reality with a distorted picture that has fallen out of.

Psychological protection, in addition, can interfere with the development of a person. It can become an obstacle on the path of success.

The negative consequences of the phenomenon under consideration occur with a steady repetition of a certain defense mechanism in similar situations of being, however, individual events, although similar to those that initially provoked the activation of the defense, do not need to be covered, since the subject himself can consciously find a solution to the problem that has arisen.

Also, defense mechanisms turn into a destructive force when a person uses several of them at the same time. A subject who often resorts to defense mechanisms is doomed to be a loser.

Psychological defense of the individual is not an innate skill. It is acquired during the passage of the baby. The main source of the formation of internal protection mechanisms and examples of their application are parents who “infect” their own children with their example of using protection.

Personal psychological defense mechanisms

A special system of personality regulation, aimed at protecting against negative, traumatic, unpleasant experiences caused by contradictions, anxiety and a state of discomfort, is called psychological protection, the functional purpose of which is to minimize intrapersonal confrontation, reduce tension, and relieve anxiety. Weakening internal contradictions, psychological hidden "safeties" regulate the behavioral reactions of the individual, increasing its adaptive ability and balancing the psyche.

Freud had previously outlined the theories of the conscious, the unconscious and the concept of the subconscious, where he emphasized that internal defense mechanisms are an integral part of the unconscious. He argued that the human subject often encounters unpleasant stimuli that are threatening and can cause stress or lead to a breakdown. Without internal "safeties", the ego of the personality will undergo disintegration, which will make it impossible to make decisions in everyday life. Psychological protection acts as a shock absorber. It helps individuals cope with negativity and pain.

Modern psychological science distinguishes 10 mechanisms of internal protection, which are classified according to the degree of maturity into defensive (for example, isolation, rationalization, intellectualization) and projective (denial, repression). The first ones are more mature. They allow negative or traumatic information to enter their consciousness, but interpret it for themselves in a “painless” way. The second ones are more primitive, since traumatic information is not allowed into consciousness.

Today, psychological "safeties" are considered reactions that the individual resorts to using unconsciously in order to protect their own internal mental components, the "Ego" from anxiety, confrontation, feelings, guilt, feelings.

The underlying mechanisms of psychological defense are differentiated according to such parameters as the level of conflict processing inside, the reception of reality distortion, the level of the amount of energy expended to maintain a certain mechanism, the level of the individual and the type of mental disorder that appears as a result of addiction to a certain defense mechanism.

Freud, using his own three-component model of the structure of the psyche, suggested that individual mechanisms arise even at the childhood age stage.

Psychological defense examples of it in life are found all the time. Often a person, in order not to pour out anger on the boss, pours out flows of negative information on employees, since they are less significant objects for him.

It often happens that the safety mechanisms start to work incorrectly. The reason for this failure is the individual's desire for peace. Hence, when the desire for psychological comfort begins to prevail over the desire to comprehend the world, minimizing the risk of going beyond the boundaries of the usual, well-established defense mechanisms cease to function adequately, which leads to.

Protective protective mechanisms constitute the security complex of the personality, but at the same time they can lead to its disintegration. Each individual has his favorite defense variation.

Psychological defense is an example of this desire to find a reasonable explanation for even the most ridiculous behavior. This is how rationalization tends to be.

However, there is a fine line that lies between the adequate use of the preferred mechanism and the violation of the equivalent balance in their functioning. Trouble arises in individuals when the chosen "fuse" is absolutely not suitable for the situation.

Types of psychological protection

Among the scientifically recognized and frequently encountered internal "shields" there are about 50 types of psychological protection. Below are the main methods of protection used.

First of all, we can single out sublimation, the concept of which was defined by Freud. He considered it a process of transforming libido into a lofty aspiration and socially necessary activity. According to Freud's concept, this is the main effective protective mechanism during the maturation of the personality. The preference for sublimation as the main strategy speaks of the mental maturation and formation of the personality.

There are 2 key variations of sublimation: primary and secondary. In the first case, the original task to which the personality is directed is preserved, which is expressed relatively directly, for example, barren parents decide to adopt. In the second case, individuals abandon the initial task and choose another task, which can be achieved at a higher level of mental activity, as a result of which sublimation is of an indirect nature.

An individual who has not been able to adapt with the help of the primary form of the defense mechanism may step over to the secondary form.

The next frequently used technique is, which is found in the involuntary movement of unacceptable impulses or thoughts into the unconscious. Simply put, repression is motivated forgetting. When the function of this mechanism is insufficient to reduce anxiety, other methods of protection are involved that contribute to the repressed information to appear in a distorted light.

Regression is an unconscious "descent" to an early stage of adaptation, allowing you to satisfy desires. It can be symbolic, partial or complete. Many problems of emotional orientation have regressive signs. In its normal manifestation, regression can be detected in game processes, in illnesses (for example, a sick individual requires more attention and increased care).

Projection is a mechanism for assigning desires, feelings, thoughts to another individual or object, which the subject consciously rejects in himself. Separate variations of the projection are easily found in everyday life. Most human subjects are completely uncritical about personal shortcomings, but they easily notice them in the environment. People tend to blame the surrounding society for their sorrows. In this case, the projection can be harmful, since it often causes an erroneous interpretation of reality. This mechanism mainly works in vulnerable individuals and immature personalities.

The opposite of the above technique is introjection or inclusion of oneself. In early personal maturation, it plays an important role, since parental values ​​are comprehended on its basis. The mechanism is updated due to the loss of the next of kin. With the help of introjection, the differences between one's own person and the object of love are eliminated. Sometimes, or towards someone, negative impulses are transformed into depreciation of oneself and self-criticism, due to the introjection of such a subject.

Rationalization is a mechanism that justifies the behavioral response of individuals, their thoughts, feelings, which are actually unacceptable. This technique is considered the most common psychological defense mechanism.

Human behavior is determined by many factors. When an individual explains behavioral reactions in the most acceptable way for his own personality, then rationalization occurs. An unconscious rationalization technique should not be confused with conscious lying or deliberate deception. Rationalization contributes to the preservation of self-esteem, avoidance of responsibility and guilt. In every rationalization there is some truth, but there is more self-deception in it. This makes her unsafe.

Intellectualization involves the exaggerated use of intellectual potential in order to eliminate emotional experiences. This technique is characterized by a close relationship with rationalization. It replaces the direct experience of feelings with thoughts about them.

Compensation is an unconscious attempt to overcome real or imagined defects. The mechanism under consideration is considered universal, because the acquisition of status is the most important need of almost every individual. Compensation can be socially acceptable (for example, a blind person becomes a famous musician) and unacceptable (for example, disability compensation is transformed into conflict and aggression). They also distinguish between direct compensation (in an obviously unprofitable area, the individual is striving for success) and indirect (the tendency to establish his own person in another area).

Reaction formation is a mechanism that replaces unacceptable impulses for awareness with exorbitant, opposite tendencies. This technique is characterized by two stages. In the first turn, an unacceptable desire is forced out, after which its antithesis increases. For example, overprotection may hide feelings of rejection.

The mechanism of denial is the rejection of thoughts, feelings, urges, needs, or reality that are unacceptable at the level of consciousness. The individual behaves as if the problem situation does not exist. The primitive way of denial is inherent in children. Adults are more likely to use the described method in situations of serious crisis.

Displacement is the redirection of emotional responses from one object to an acceptable replacement. For example, instead of the employer, subjects take out aggressive feelings on the family.

Methods and techniques of psychological protection

Many eminent psychologists argue that the ability to protect oneself from negative emotional reactions of envious people and ill-wishers, the ability to maintain spiritual harmony in all sorts of unpleasant circumstances and not respond to annoying, offensive attacks, is feature mature personality, emotionally developed and intellectually formed individual. This is a guarantee of health and the main difference between a successful individual. This is the positive side of the function of psychological defenses. Therefore, subjects experiencing pressure from society and taking on negative psychological attacks of spiteful critics need to learn adequate methods of protection from negative influences.

First of all, you need to realize that an irritated and emotionally depressed individual cannot restrain emotional outbursts and adequately respond to criticism.

Methods of psychological defense that help to cope with aggressive manifestations are given below.

One of the ways to push back negative emotions is the wind of change. You need to remember all the words and intonations that cause the most painful intonation, to understand what can be guaranteed to knock the ground out, unbalance or plunge you into depression. It is recommended to remember and vividly imagine the circumstances when the ill-wisher tries to annoy with the help of certain words, intonation or facial expressions. You should also say inside yourself the words that hurt the most. You can visualize the facial expressions of an opponent uttering offensive words.

This state of impotent anger or, on the contrary, loss, must be felt inside, disassembled by individual sensations. You need to be aware of your own feelings and changes occurring in the body (for example, your heartbeat may become more frequent, anxiety will appear, your legs will “weep”) and remember them. Then you should imagine yourself standing in a strong wind that blows away all the negativity, offensive words and attacks of the ill-wisher, as well as reciprocal negative emotions.

The described exercise is recommended to be done several times in a quiet room. It will help you later be much calmer about aggressive attacks. Faced in reality with a situation where someone is trying to offend, humiliate, you should imagine yourself being in the wind. Then the words of the spiteful critic will sink into oblivion without reaching the goal.

The next method of psychological defense is called the "absurd situation." Here, a person is advised not to wait for aggression, a splash of offensive words, ridicule. Need to be armed well-known phraseological unit"make an elephant out of a fly." In other words, it is necessary to bring any problem to the point of absurdity with the help of exaggeration. Feeling ridicule or insult from the opponent, one should exaggerate this situation in such a way that the words that follow this give rise to only laughter and frivolity. With this method of psychological defense, you can easily disarm the interlocutor and for a long time discourage him from offending other people.

You can also imagine opponents as three-year-old crumbs. This will help you learn to treat their attacks less painfully. You need to imagine yourself as a teacher, and opponents as a kindergarten kid who runs, jumps, screams. Gets angry and fussy. Is it really possible to be seriously angry at a three-year-old unintelligent baby?!

The next method is called "ocean". The water spaces, occupying a huge part of the land, constantly take in the seething streams of the rivers, but this cannot disturb their majestic steadfastness and tranquility. Also, a person can take an example from the ocean, remaining confident and calm, even when the streams of abuse pour out.

The technique of psychological defense called "aquarium" consists in imagining oneself behind the thick edges of the aquarium while feeling the attempts of the environment to unbalance. It is necessary to look at the opponent pouring out a sea of ​​negativity and endlessly pouring offensive words from behind the thick walls of the aquarium, imagining his physiognomy distorted by anger, but not feeling the words, because the water absorbs them. Consequently, negative attacks will not reach the goal, the person will remain balanced, which will further disperse the opponent and make him lose his balance.

When difficult situations arise in our lives, problems, we ask ourselves the questions “how to be?” and “what to do?”, and then we try to somehow resolve the existing difficulties, and if it doesn’t work out, then we resort to the help of others. Problems are external (lack of money, no work ...), but there are also internal problems, it is more difficult to deal with them (often you don’t want to admit them even to yourself, it hurts, it’s unpleasant).

People react differently to their inner difficulties: they suppress their inclinations, denying their existence, “forget” about the traumatic event, seek a way out in self-justification and condescension to their “weaknesses”, try to distort reality and engage in self-deception. And all this is sincere, in this way people protect their psyche from painful stresses, defense mechanisms help them in this.

What are defense mechanisms?

For the first time this term appeared in 1894 in the work of Z. Freud "Protective neuropsychoses". The psychological defense mechanism is aimed at depriving and thereby neutralizing psychologically traumatic moments (for example, the Fox from the famous fable “The Fox and the Grapes”).

Thus, it can be said that protective mechanisms are a system of regulatory mechanisms that serve to eliminate or reduce negative, traumatic experiences to a minimum. These experiences are mainly associated with internal or external conflicts, states of anxiety or discomfort. Protection mechanisms are aimed at maintaining the stability of the self-esteem of the individual, his image of the Self and the image of the world, which can be achieved, for example, in such ways as:

- elimination of sources of conflict experiences from consciousness,

- transformation of conflict experiences in such a way as to prevent the occurrence of conflict.

Many psychologists, psychotherapists and psychoanalysts have studied the protective mechanisms of the psyche, their work shows that a person uses these mechanisms in cases where he has instinctive drives, the expression of which is under a social prohibition (for example, unrestrained sexuality), protective mechanisms also act as buffers in relation to our consciousness of those disappointments and threats that life brings us. Some consider psychological protection to be a mechanism for the functioning of a normal psyche, which prevents the occurrence of various kinds of disorders. This is a special form of psychological activity, implemented in the form of separate methods of processing information in order to preserve the integrity of the ego. In those cases when the Ego cannot cope with anxiety and fear, it resorts to the mechanisms of a kind of distortion of a person's perception of reality.

To date, more than 20 types of defense mechanisms are known, all of them are divided into primitive defenses and secondary (higher order) defense mechanisms.

So, let's look at some types of defense mechanisms. The first group includes:

1. primitive isolation - psychological withdrawal into another state - is an automatic reaction that can be observed in the tiniest human beings. An adult version of the same phenomenon can be observed in people who isolate themselves from social or interpersonal situations and replace the tension that comes from interactions with others with the stimulation that comes from the fantasies of their inner world. The tendency to use chemicals to change the state of consciousness can also be seen as a form of isolation. Constitutionally sensitive people often develop a rich inner fantasy life and experience the outside world as problematic or emotionally poor.

The obvious disadvantage of protection by isolation is that it excludes a person from active participation in solving interpersonal problems, individuals constantly hiding in own world test the patience of those who love them by resisting communication on an emotional level.

The main advantage of isolation as a defensive strategy is that, while allowing psychological escape from reality, it requires almost no distortion of it. A person who relies on isolation finds comfort not in not understanding the world, but in moving away from it.

2. denial is an attempt not to accept events that are undesirable for oneself as reality, another early way to cope with troubles is to refuse to accept their existence. Remarkable is the ability in such cases to "skip" in their memories of unpleasant experienced events, replacing them with fiction. As a defense mechanism, denial consists in diverting attention from painful ideas and feelings, but does not make them completely inaccessible to consciousness.

Yes, many people are afraid serious illnesses. And they would rather deny the presence of even the very first obvious symptoms than go to the doctor. And so the disease progresses. The same protective mechanism is triggered when one of the couple "does not see", denies the existing problems in married life. And such behavior often leads to a break in relations.

A person who has resorted to denial simply ignores painful realities and acts as if they do not exist. Being confident in his own merits, he tries to attract the attention of others by all means and means. And at the same time he sees only a positive attitude towards his person. Criticism and rejection are simply ignored. New people are seen as potential fans. And in general, he considers himself a person without problems, because he denies the existence of difficulties / difficulties in his life. Has high self-esteem.

3. omnipotent control - the feeling that you are able to influence the world, have power, is undoubtedly a necessary condition for self-respect, originating in infantile and unrealistic, but at a certain stage of development, normal fantasies of omnipotence. The first to arouse interest in the "stages of development of a sense of reality" was S. Ferenczi (1913). He pointed out that in the infantile stage of primary omnipotence, or grandiosity, the fantasy of having control of the world is normal. As the child matures, it naturally transforms at a subsequent stage into the idea of ​​a secondary "dependent" or "derivative" omnipotence, where one of those who initially cares for the child is perceived as omnipotent.

As they grow older, the child comes to terms with the unpleasant fact that no one person has unlimited possibilities. Some healthy remnant of this infantile sense of omnipotence remains in all of us and maintains a sense of competence and vitality.

For some people, the need to feel a sense of omnipotent control and to interpret what is happening to us in terms of their own absolute power is completely irresistible. If a person organizes around the search for and experience of pleasure from the feeling that he can effectively manifest and use his own omnipotence, in connection with which, all ethical and practical considerations fade into the background, there are reasons to consider this person as psychopathic ("sociopathic" and "antisocial"). "- synonyms of a later origin).

“Stepping over others” is the main occupation and source of pleasure for individuals in personality who are dominated by omnipotent control. They can often be found where cunning, love of excitement, danger and a willingness to subordinate all interests to the main goal - to show their influence.

4. primitive idealization (and devaluation) - Ferenczi's thesis about the gradual replacement of primitive fantasies of one's own omnipotence by primitive fantasies about the omnipotence of the caring person is still important. We all tend to idealize. We carry the remnants of the need to ascribe special dignity and power to people on whom we are emotionally dependent. Normal idealization is an essential component of mature love. And the developmental tendency to de-idealize or devalue those to whom we have childhood affection seems to be a normal and important part of the process of separation - individualization. In some people, however, the need to idealize remains more or less unchanged from infancy. Their behavior shows signs of an archaic desperate effort to counter the inner panic horror with the certainty that someone to whom they are attached is omnipotent, omniscient and infinitely benevolent, and psychological fusion with this supernatural Other provides them with security. They also hope to be free from shame; a by-product of idealization and the belief in perfection associated with it is that one's own imperfections are especially painfully endured; merging with the idealized object is a natural remedy in this situation.

Primitive devaluation is the inevitable downside of the need for idealization. Since nothing is perfect in human life, archaic ways of idealization inevitably lead to disappointment. The more an object is idealized, the more radically the devaluation awaits it; the more illusions, the more difficult the experience of their collapse.

IN Everyday life an analogy to this process is the measure of hatred and anger that can fall on someone who seemed so promising and did not live up to expectations. Some people spend their whole lives replacing one intimate relationship with another in repeated cycles of idealization and devaluation. (Modifying the defense of primitive idealization is the legitimate goal of any long-term psychoanalytic therapy.)

The second group of defense mechanisms are secondary (higher order) defenses:

1. repression - the most universal means of avoiding internal conflict. This is a conscious effort of a person to consign frustrating impressions to oblivion by transferring attention to other forms of activity, non-frustration phenomena, etc. In other words, repression is arbitrary suppression, which leads to a true forgetting of the corresponding mental contents.

One of the clearest examples of displacement can be considered anorexia - refusal to eat. This is a constantly and successfully carried out repression of the need to eat. As a rule, "anorexic" repression is a consequence of the fear of gaining weight and, therefore, looking bad. In the clinic of neurosis, sometimes there is a syndrome of anorexia nervosa, which girls aged 14-18 are more likely to suffer from. In puberty, changes in appearance and body are clearly expressed. The emerging breasts and the appearance of roundness in the hips of a girl are often perceived as a symptom of beginning fullness. And, as a rule, they begin to fight hard against this “fullness”. Some teenagers cannot openly refuse food offered to them by their parents. And according to this, as soon as the meal is over, they immediately go to the toilet room, where they manually cause a gag reflex. On the one hand, this frees you from food that threatens to replenish, on the other hand, it brings psychological relief. Over time, there comes a moment when the gag reflex is triggered automatically by eating. And the disease is formed. The original cause of the disease has been successfully repressed. The consequences remain. Note that such anorexia nervosa is one of the most difficult to treat diseases.

2. regression is a relatively simple defense mechanism. Social and emotional development never follows a strictly straight path; in the process of personality growth, fluctuations are observed, which become less dramatic with age, but never completely disappear. The sub-phase of reunification in the process of separation - individuation, becomes one of the tendencies inherent in every person. It is a return to a familiar way of doing things after a new level of competence has been achieved.

To classify this mechanism, it must be unconscious. Some people use repression as a defense more than others. For example, some of us respond to the stresses of growth and age-related changes that they get sick. This variant of regression, known as somatization, is usually resistant to change and difficult to therapeutically intervene. It is widely known that somatization and hypochondria, as well as other types of regression, which are helplessness and childish behavior patterns, can serve as a cornerstone in the character of the individual. Regression to oral and anal relationships in order to avoid oedipal conflicts is a very common phenomenon in the clinic.

3. intellectualization is a variant of a higher level of isolation of affect from intellect. The person using isolation usually says that he does not feel feelings, while the person using intellectualization talks about feelings, but in such a way that the listener is left with the impression of lack of emotions.

Intellectualization holds back the usual overflow of emotion in the same way that isolation holds back traumatic overstimulation. When a person can act rationally in a situation saturated with emotional meanings, this indicates a significant strength of the ego, and in this case the defense is effective.

However, if a person proves unable to leave a defensive cognitive unemotional stance, then others tend to intuit emotionally insincere. Sex, good-natured teasing, acts of artistry, and other adult-appropriate forms of play can be unnecessarily limited in a person who has learned to depend on intellectualization to cope with life's challenges.

4. Rationalization is finding acceptable reasons and explanations for acceptable thoughts and actions. Rational explanation as a defense mechanism is not aimed at resolving the contradiction as the basis of the conflict, but at relieving tension when experiencing discomfort with the help of quasi-logical explanations. Naturally, these "justificatory" explanations of thoughts and actions are more ethical and noble than true motives. Thus, rationalization is aimed at maintaining the status quo of the life situation and works to hide the true motivation. Protective motives are manifested in people with a very strong Super-Ego, which, on the one hand, does not seem to allow real motives to come to consciousness, but, on the other hand, allows these motives to be realized, but under a beautiful, socially approved facade. .

by the most simple example rationalization can be justified explanations of a student who received a deuce. After all, it’s so insulting to admit to everyone (and to yourself in particular) that it’s your own fault - you didn’t learn the material! Not everyone is capable of such a blow to self-esteem. And criticism from other people who are significant to you is painful. So the schoolboy justifies himself, comes up with “sincere” explanations: “It was the teacher who was in a bad mood, so he gave everyone a deuce for nothing,” or “I’m not a favorite, like Ivanov, so he puts me deuces for the slightest flaws in answer." He explains so beautifully, convinces everyone that he himself believes in all this.

People who use rational protection try to build their concept on the basis of various points of view as a panacea for anxiety. They think about all the options for their behavior and their consequences in advance. And emotional experiences are often masked by increased attempts to rationally interpret events.

5. moralization is a close relative of rationalization. When someone rationalizes, he unconsciously looks for acceptable, from a reasonable point of view, justifications for the chosen decision. When he moralizes, this means: he is obliged to follow in this direction. Rationalization shifts what a person wants into the language of reason, moralization directs these desires into the realm of justifications or moral circumstances.

Sometimes moralization can be seen as a more highly developed version of splitting. The tendency to moralize will be a late stage of the primitive tendency of the global division into good and bad. While the splitting in the child naturally occurs before the capacity of his integrated self to endure ambivalence, the solution in the form of moralizing through appeal to principles confuses the feelings that the developing self is capable of enduring. Moralization can be seen as the operation of the super-ego, although usually rigid and punishable.

6. The term "displacement" refers to the redirection of emotion, preoccupation, or attention from an original or natural object to another because its original direction is for some reason disturbingly hidden.

Passion can also be displaced. Sexual fetishes can apparently be explained as a reorientation of interest from a person's genitals to an unconsciously connected area - legs or even shoes.

The anxiety itself is often displaced. When a person uses the displacement of anxiety from one area to a very specific object that symbolizes frightening phenomena (fear of spiders, fear of knives), then he suffers from a phobia.

Some unfortunate cultural tendencies—like racism, sexism, heterosexism, the loud denunciation of societal problems by disenfranchised groups with too little power to stand up for their rights—have a significant element of bias in them. Transference, both in clinical and non-clinical manifestations, contains displacement (of feelings directed at objects important in early childhood) along with projection (internal characteristics of the features of one's own "I"). Positive types of displacement include the transfer of aggressive energy into creative activity (a huge amount of homework is done if people are in an aroused state), as well as the redirection of erotic impulses from unreal or forbidden sexual objects to an available partner.

7. At one time, the concept of sublimation was widely understood among the educated public and was a way of looking at various human inclinations. Sublimation is now less considered in the psychoanalytic literature and is becoming less and less popular as a concept. Initially, sublimation was considered to be a good defense, thanks to which one can find creative, healthy, socially acceptable or constructive solutions to internal conflicts between primitive aspirations and forbidding forces.

Sublimation was Freud's original designation for the socially acceptable expression of biologically based impulses (which include desires to suck, bite, eat, fight, copulate, look at others and show off oneself, punish, hurt, protect offspring, etc.) . According to Freud, instinctive desires acquire the power of influence due to the circumstances of the individual's childhood; some drives or conflicts take on a special meaning and can be channeled into useful constructive activity.

This defense is regarded as a healthy means of resolving psychological difficulties for two reasons: firstly, it favors constructive behavior that is beneficial to the group, and secondly, it discharges the impulse instead of wasting huge emotional energy on transforming it into something else (for example, , as in reactive formation) or to counteract it with an oppositely directed force (denial, repression). This discharge of energy is considered positive in nature.

Sublimation remains a concept that is still referred to in the psychoanalytic literature if the author points to someone who has found a creative and useful way of expressing problematic impulses and conflicts. Contrary to the common misunderstanding that the object of psychotherapy is to get rid of infantile impulses, the psychoanalytic position on health and growth implies that the infantile part of our nature continues to exist in adulthood. We have no way to completely get rid of it. We can only contain it more or less successfully.

The goals of analytic therapy include understanding all aspects of one's self (even the most primitive and disturbing ones), developing compassion for oneself (and for others, since one needs to project and displace previously unrecognized desires to humiliate), and to expand the boundaries of freedom for resolving old conflicts in new ways. These goals do not mean "cleansing" one's self of disgusting aspects or blocking primitive desires. This is what makes sublimation the pinnacle of ego development, explains a lot about the relationship of psychoanalysis to the human being and its inherent possibilities and limitations, and also implies the significance of the information of psychoanalytic diagnosis.

It remains to sum up, to determine the role and function of protection. It would seem that psychoprotection has noble goals: to remove, to stop the sharpness of psychological experience, emotional hurt by the situation. At the same time, the emotional impact of the situation is always negative, it is always experienced as psychological discomfort, anxiety, fear, horror, etc. But due to what does this defensive reaction of negative experiences occur? Due to simplification, due to the imaginary palliative resolution of the situation. Due to the fact that a person cannot foresee the impact of his facilitated solution to the problem on the future, the defense has a short range: beyond the situation, this particular one, it “sees” nothing.

Protection also has a negative meaning at the level of a particular situation and because a person emotionally experiences a certain relief, and this relief, removal of negativity, discomfort occurs when using a specific protective technique. The fact that this success is imaginary, short-lived and the relief is illusory is not realized, otherwise, it is understandable, and the experience of relief would not have come. But, undoubtedly, one thing: when experiencing the onset of relief when using a specific psychological defensive technique, this technique is fixed as a habit of behavior, as a habit to solve similar situations in exactly this, psycho-protective way. In addition, energy consumption is minimized every time.

Like every reinforcement, a psychological neoplasm (in our particular case, a defensive technique), having once completed its “noble” task of removing the sharpness of psychological experience, does not disappear, but acquires a tendency to self-reproduce and transfer to similar situations and states, it begins to acquire a status already such a stable formation as a psychological property. Ontogenetically, such a discrepancy between the good intentions of psychoprotection and its high cost for any life path not only persists, but also intensifies.

The use of psychological defense is evidence of an anxious perception of the world, there is an expression of distrust in it, in oneself, in others, there is an expectation to “get a catch” not only from the environment, but also from one’s own person, there is an expression that a person perceives himself as an object of unknown and formidable forces. Psychoprotective living of life removes his creativity from a person, he ceases to be the creator of his own biography, following the lead of history, society, the reference group, his unconscious inclinations and prohibitions. The more protection, the less instance of "I".

With the development of society, individual methods of psychoprotective regulation also develop. The development of mental neoplasms is endless and the development of forms of psychological defense, because protective mechanisms are characteristic of normal and abnormal forms of behavior between healthy and pathological regulation, psychoprotective occupies the middle zone, the gray zone.

Mental regulation by means of protective mechanisms, as a rule, proceeds at an unconscious level. Therefore, bypassing consciousness, they penetrate into the personality, undermine its position, weaken its creative potential as a subject of life. The psychoprotective resolution of the situation is given to the deceived consciousness as a real solution to the problem, as the only possible way out of a difficult situation.

Personal development implies a willingness to change, a constant increase in one's psychological reliability in different situations. Even a negative emotional state (fear, anxiety, guilt, shame, etc.) can have a function that is useful for personality development. For example, the same anxiety can be with a tendency to experiment with new situations, and then the function of psychoprotective techniques is more than ambivalent. Aimed at neutralizing the psycho-traumatic impact "here and now", within the current situation, psycho-protection can cope quite effectively, it saves from the acuteness of the experienced shock, sometimes providing time, a delay for preparing other, more effective ways of experiencing. However, its very use indicates that, firstly, the palette of creative interaction of the individual with culture is limited, and the inability to sacrifice the private and momentary, the fascination with the current situation - all this leads to a curtailment of consciousness on itself, to satisfy and diminish psychological discomfort. at any price; secondly, by replacing the actual solution to constantly arising problems, a solution that can even be accompanied by negative emotional and even existential experiences, comfortable, but palliative, a person deprives himself of the possibility of development and self-actualization. Finally, a psychoprotective existence in life and culture is complete immersion in norms and rules, it is the inability to change them. Where change ends, pathological transformation and destruction of the personality begins.

"Protection". The meaning of this word speaks for itself. Protection involves the presence of at least two factors. First, if you are defending yourself, then there is a danger of attack; secondly, protection means that measures have been taken to repel an attack. On the one hand, it is good when a person is ready for all kinds of surprises, and has in his arsenal tools that will help maintain his integrity, both external and internal, both physical and mental. A sense of security is one of the basic human needs. But one should get acquainted with the economics of the issue. If all the mental strength of a person goes to maintaining a sense of security, then isn’t the price too high? If you do not live, but defend yourself from life, then why is it needed at all? It turns out that the most effective, “global” protection is death or “non-birth”?

All this is only partly true. Under certain circumstances, defense mechanisms, designed in other conditions to help conceal experiences, often perform positive functions as well.

In connection with the foregoing, an understanding of the acute topical topic of research on coping mechanisms and their connection with defense mechanisms comes. Overcoming and protection are complementary processes: if the potential of coping mechanisms is insufficient for the psychological processing of an affect, then the affect reaches an unacceptable level, and defense mechanisms begin to operate instead of overcoming mechanisms. If the potential of protection is also exhausted, then there is a fragmentation of experiences through splitting. The choice of protective mechanisms is also carried out taking into account the degree and type of overloads. (S.Menuos "Key concepts of psychoanalysis", 2001).

Among the normal coping mechanisms should include a humorous comprehension of a difficult situation by detached contemplation of certain circumstances, allowing you to see something funny in them, and the so-called sublimation, which implies the rejection of the desire for direct satisfaction of the desire and the choice of not just acceptable, but a way of satisfaction that has a beneficial effect on the personality. . It should be noted that only sublimation, and not any suppression of instincts for the sake of compliance with conventions, can be called a mechanism for overcoming.

Since virtually any psychological process can be used as a defense, no review and analysis of defenses can be complete. The phenomenon of protection has many aspects that require in-depth study, and if in the monopersonal plan it is developed quite fully, then the interpersonal ones conceal great opportunities for the application of research potential.

Hello dear readers.

Let's talk about psychology again today. It will be devoted to the defense mechanisms of the psyche, the founder of which is Freud, and will be of interest to those who want to improve their psychological competence or simply remember the basics of psychology.

First of all, it is worth saying that it is normal and correct to have defensive reactions.

Protection helps to cope with resistance, relieve tension, anxiety, it regulates behavior and balances the psyche.
The defense mechanism is the weapon of your Ego, which should extinguish the conflict between “can” and “cannot”. Between a small child, with his requirements and requests, and an adult, accomplished personality, with all the accompanying requirements, norms and restrictions.
Defense mechanisms are most often caused by stress. But it also often happens that the stress has passed, but the defense mechanism remains. And this is no longer the norm. In this case, the mechanism no longer protects, but prevents a person from living and developing. (That is, the question is how long and how correctly a person uses this or that protection).
Also, defense mechanisms can be pathological. For example, with mental illness.
It is very important to note that all defense mechanisms are subconscious. You can't use the defense mechanism intentionally. It's going to be called something else.)

There is no clear classification of defense mechanisms. Here we will consider the main, one might say the most popular, used in psychological counseling.

Psychological defenses are conditionally divided into 2 levels. The first level is more primitive defenses, first-order defenses. The second level includes secondary defense mechanisms that are more difficult to diagnose and operate.

Let's look at some of the first level defenses first.

The defense mechanism familiar to a person from early childhood is primitive insulation. A person moves away from interaction with reality when there is too much load, a strong excited state, when it is necessary to retire in order to regain peace of mind and balance. From the outside, it looks like thoughtfulness, daydreaming, detachment.
The advantage of such protection is that a person does not distort reality, he simply leaves it for his fantasy world, as for another reality, less problematic and restless. Example: a student "counting crows" in class.
The downside is the desire to hide from solving some issues or communication by staying in your own world.
A person can also achieve a state of primitive isolation by changing his psychological state, for example, with the help of alcohol.
Some researchers have come to the conclusion that this defense mechanism is expressed in hypersensitive people.
Another first level defense mechanism is projection. A very common form in which a person attributes to another those qualities that he does not accept in himself. The mechanism seems simple, but it is very difficult to apply it to yourself.
Every person has positive and negative aspects of his personality. It is easy and pleasant to accept positive things, but it is difficult to agree with your shortcomings. If a person agrees with his shortcomings, then he is more loyal to the same qualities in others.
A person rejects his negative sides, because. it seems to him that this preserves his self-respect. He eradicates his shortcomings in others under the guise of protection.
In the end, it just reduces anxiety, reduces danger, which is what is required of a defense mechanism.

Negation- easy-to-understand protection. The name speaks for itself. If some information, thoughts, events, actions are not acceptable, are painful, problematic, pose a threat to either the psychological or physical state, then they are denied. They simply don't exist. The person does not even try to understand them. It's convenient, isn't it?))
The disadvantage of this protection is that in the real world the situation has remained and has not disappeared anywhere.
For example, a person can deny for a long time to dare a loved one, but sooner or later this fact will have to be recognized.
Denial involves a person's denial of the need to adjust or readjust. And in a situation where a person removes the defense of denial, it is important to simply support him.

Mechanism displacement already belong to the group of the second order. It is somewhat similar to the mechanism of denial. The difference is that with denial, a person does not even try to realize things that are unpleasant for him, but with repression, this is assumed. The result of repression is an indifferent attitude to the situation.

Distinguish between complete displacement and partial. With complete repression, a person completely forgets his experiences, because. they were too traumatic. For example, psychotrauma. But, despite this, traumatic events continue to affect the life, destiny, health of a person, influence his actions and behavior.

With partial repression, a person tries not to think about his experiences, but he cannot completely forget, and under certain circumstances they pop up in the form of violent emotions.

Regression. This mechanism brings the person back to an earlier and more primitive way of responding. In the people it is called "fall into childhood."
This is an escape to safety, because most often it is childhood that many associate with safety. This is the position of a weak person, demanding pity, concessions, unable to cope with something due to his "small age".
Regression can be expressed in the denial of someone else's point of view, despite the arguments and arguments. At the moment of regression, childhood habits may return: nail biting, thumb sucking, nose picking, stuttering, etc. A person can dress out of age, want a favorite childhood treat, just get sick.
Regression always occurs as an unconscious reaction, and this is its main feature. (Otherwise, it's just a simulation.) And most often, regression is associated with some kind of achievement.
For example, professional achievements. Man got new position, but became fussy, irritable, inattentive, excitable, bites his nails, sleeps at home in flannel pajamas with a soft toy)) - signs of regression.
Regression is very common in the sexual realm. For example, onanism. A person leading an adult sexual life solves the problem in a more primitive childish way. For him, this is easier than establishing contact with a partner.
Finally, regression can be compared with a 2- or 3-year-old child who proclaims his independence from his mother, is eager to comprehend the world and repeats his own “I myself!”, But in case of difficulties (fear, pain ...) he runs to hide behind his mother's skirt.
In general, regression as a defense mechanism is quite common and is a relatively simple defense mechanism. May be corrected. But it is more effective to deal with the problem that caused this defensive reaction, i.e. with stress.

The next defense mechanism is rationalization. A person unconsciously tries to justify and explain his wrong or even absurd behavior. The true state of things is so painful that it wraps itself in a sweet shell of excuses, where a person remains “white and fluffy” in his eyes. An example of rationalization is Krylov's fable "The Fox and the Grapes."
Rationalization can be conscious or unconscious. The true reason can be hidden from the person himself, like the core of an onion.
Work on this mechanism consists in removing one layer after another. Each subsequent layer can be more painful than the previous one. Painful for self-love, but good for self-knowledge.

Another second order mechanism is inversion or reactive conversion. A person replaces thoughts, feelings, actions with diametrically opposed ones. Everything has two poles. If one pole poses a threat or danger, then the person is transferred to another, more convenient one. At the same time, the dangerous pole ceases to be realized.
For example, a boy is in love with a girl. If he reveals his feelings, then he may be ridiculed, insulted, misunderstood, scolded, etc. (It's one step from love to hatred). He makes an inversion of his feelings and understands love as hatred or irritation. He starts pulling the girl's pigtails, calling names, pushing and reading "tenderness".
In inversion, a person may want one thing, but talk about another, or experience indifference to who (or what) represents great importance.
If something is a hyper-value for a person, then the opposite value is sure to hang at the other end, no less significant, but more problematic.
If a person constantly and very clearly emphasizes that he has no competitors, then do not hesitate, he has them everywhere.
To remove this mechanism, you need to change your needs, reduce the importance of one pole. Then separation will happen naturally.

Resistance. The closer to the problem, the brighter the person's resistance. Resistance can be a sign that the problem is urgent and painful, as well as that the person is not ready to solve it. Sharp and strong pressure is not always justified. It is not known how the human psyche can react to such interference. The task of a consultant or psychologist, in this case, is not to press, but to highlight the problem so that a person does not feel danger or threat, because he still does not know how to live in a new way.

Sublimation. Perhaps the most common and acceptable way. It can even be very successful if implemented correctly. It involves the transformation of forbidden desires into other activities that are allowed in society (perhaps approved and encouraged by it).

If something cannot be done, then a person does what is possible.

A very common example of the sublimation of personal problems can be found in creativity and in art. Poems written by unfortunate lovers, paintings that amaze with their images, music that causes goosebumps ... All this can be praised by people, a person can gain fame, honor, respect, but .... But sublimation is not a solution to the problem, so a person can remain unhappy all his life, remaining a genius for everyone.

The solution is working on the real problem.

In astropsychology, the concept of sublimation is very often mentioned. This is one of the possible solutions for problem planets, the functions of which suffer and make any area of ​​human life extremely limited.

From an astropsychological point of view, we can say that most of the protective mechanisms are expressed in the chart by the opposition of the planets to each other. Resistance can be represented by quadrature. Sublimation can be thought of as the fortunate resolution of tense planets into a trine.

PROTECTIVE MECHANISMS OF THE PSYCHE

IN DEPRESSIVE CONDITIONS

Introduction

.Freud's justification for defense mechanisms

1The Nature of Depression

2Depression as a source of hidden anger

3Mechanisms of depression

4Excitation and inhibition

.Psychological defense mechanisms in reactive depression

.Defense mechanisms of the psyche in depressive states

1Introjection

2Rationalization

3Suppression and repression

4Projection or transfer

5Identification or identification

6denial

Conclusion

Literature

Introduction

When difficult situations arise in our lives, problems, we ask ourselves the questions “how to be?” and “what to do?”, and then we try to somehow resolve the existing difficulties, and if it doesn’t work out, then we resort to the help of others. Problems are external (lack of money, no work ...), but there are also internal problems, it is more difficult to deal with them (often you don’t want to admit them even to yourself, it hurts, it’s unpleasant).

People react differently to their inner difficulties: they suppress their inclinations, denying their existence, “forget” about the traumatic event, seek a way out in self-justification and condescension to their “weaknesses”, try to distort reality and engage in self-deception. All this is sincere, thus, people protect their psyche from painful tensions, defense mechanisms help them in this.

What are defense mechanisms?

Thus, it can be said that protective mechanisms are a system of regulatory mechanisms that serve to eliminate or reduce negative, traumatic experiences to a minimum. These experiences are mainly associated with internal or external conflicts, states of anxiety or discomfort. Protection mechanisms are aimed at maintaining the stability of the self-esteem of the individual, his image of the Self and the image of the world, which can be achieved, for example, in such ways as:

elimination of sources of conflict experiences from consciousness,

transformation of conflict experiences in such a way as to prevent the occurrence of conflict.

Many psychologists, psychotherapists and psychoanalysts have studied the defense mechanisms of the psyche. Their work shows that a person uses these mechanisms in cases where he has instinctive drives, the expression of which is under social prohibition (for example, unrestrained sexuality), protective mechanisms also act as buffers in relation to our consciousness of those disappointments and threats, that brings us life. Some consider psychological protection to be a mechanism for the functioning of a normal psyche, which prevents the occurrence of various kinds of disorders. This is a special form of psychological activity, implemented in the form of separate methods of processing information in order to preserve the integrity of the Ego. In those cases when the Ego cannot cope with anxiety and fear, it resorts to the mechanisms of a kind of distortion of a person's perception of reality.

To date, more than 20 types of defense mechanisms are known, all of them are divided into primitive defenses and secondary (higher order) defense mechanisms.

The functions of psychological defense are contradictory in nature: on the one hand, they contribute to the adaptation of a person to his own inner world, but at the same time, on the other hand, they can worsen adaptability to the external social environment.

We tend to consider psychological defense mechanisms as specific to a person and a very important means of socio-psychological adaptation.

The purpose of this course work is to identify: what protective mechanisms of our psyche work in depressive states and reduce emotional stress. And also, get acquainted with the theory of the emergence of psychological mechanisms and generally identify the nature of depression.

An object. The object of study of this work will be the human psyche.

Subject of study. Defense mechanisms of the psyche.

Tasks. To study the theory of defense mechanisms and to identify their effect in depressive states.

In formal scientific language, depression is a low mood. But a low mood is different for a low mood. Each of us in our lives has been repeatedly upset, fell into melancholy and cursed our fate at what the world stands, but not everyone knows what real depression is. When you are just upset, somewhere inside you know very well: this is temporary, this is not forever, “just unlucky”, this is a non-committal failure. In depression, everything is different, there is not a “disorder”, here there is some kind of frustration, it seems that they took you and put you out of order, like an old piano. This is not banal bad luck, this is a feeling of hopelessness.

According to one hypothesis, depression is a defense mechanism when a person is overwhelmed by unfulfillable desires, one of the ways to save oneself is to give up desires altogether. Secondly, the perception of the world is distorted.

When, figuratively speaking, the psychological motor of a person begins to vibrate menacingly, causing unbearable suffering, the state of depression sharply "reduces speed", almost stops the "motor". Thus, it saves the motor from complete failure. Depression saves a person from his unbearable inner pain, softens the unbearable pressure of the current situation, as if restraining the pressure of emotions, which can often lead to self-destruction.

Everything that happens in mental life, as a result of which anxiety or depressive affect is reduced - ideally disappears - belongs to the class of defenses.

1. Justification of defense mechanisms in Freud

For the first time this term appeared in 1894 in the work of Z. Freud "Protective neuropsychoses". The psychological defense mechanism is aimed at depriving and thereby neutralizing psychologically traumatic moments (for example, the Fox from the famous fable “The Fox and the Grapes”).

These are unconscious actions or counteractions or adaptive ways of experiencing a person, aimed at protecting against those dangers and threats to which he is exposed from the surrounding reality and his own inner world; they also allow you to make a positive assessment of your own I. In other words, this is the response of the psyche to painful factors. Defenses are formed individually in the process of personality development.

Defense mechanisms can be designated as successful if their implementation finally blocks unwanted impulses and unsuccessful, in which it is necessary to repeat or perpetuate the process of preventing forbidden impulses. Pathogenic types of defense mechanisms that underlie neuroses belong to unsuccessful ones: blocked impulses do not reach discharge, but remain in a suspended state at an unconscious level and even increase due to the constant action of their bodily sources, their connection with the rest of the personality is lost, in As a result, tension arises and a breakthrough is possible - the emergence of a neurosis.

The followers of Z. Freud - A. Freud, K. Levin, T. Shebutani - described the conditions for the inclusion of psychological protection, its goals and functions. IN domestic psychology this topic was practically closed for a long time, mainly for ideological reasons, however, a number of researchers in the USSR, and then in Russia, studied psychological processes that are similar in essence to ego-protective mechanisms. The most famous of them was F. Bassin, who devoted many years of his life to the study of the perceptual attitude. Currently, in domestic psychology, there are works on the influence of psychological protection on the processes of social adaptation and personality development on the formation of certain options. deviant behavior and neuropsychological disorders.

There is a classification of defense mechanisms by dividing them into "primitive" and "higher order", which makes it possible to judge the level of organization of the personality of their carrier. As a rule, to defenses regarded as primary, immature, primitive, or defenses lower order include those that deal with the boundary between the self and the outside world. Defenses classified as secondary, more mature, more developed, or as defenses higher order , work with internal boundaries - between I, Super-I and It, or between the observing and experiencing parts of the I. The borderline or psychotic personality structure is due to the lack of mature defenses.

It has become common in psychoanalytic descriptions to define the following defenses as "primitive": primitive isolation, denial, omnipotent control, primitive idealization and devaluation, projective and introjective identification, self-splitting, dissociation.

People whose personality is described by psychoanalytic observers as organized on a neurotic level rely mainly on mature second-order defenses. At the same time, they also use primitive defenses, which, however, are not so noticeable against the background of their general functioning and, as a rule, appear only during times of extraordinary stress. The main defenses of the "higher order" according to the frequency of their mention by therapists and their correlation with individual character patterns are repression, regression, isolation, intellectualization, rationalization, moralization, compartmentalization, annulment, turning against oneself, displacement, reactive formation, reversion, identification, response, sexualization. The most mature higher defenses (sublimation and humor) can be attributed to the mechanisms of overcoming disturbing situations.

Based on the set of basic defenses used, one can generally determine the type of organization of a person's character. The general classification looks like this:

psychopathic personality - omnipotent control, projective identification, dissociation and acting out;

narcissistic personality - idealization and depreciation;

schizoid personalities - primitive isolation, intellectualization. Less commonly, projection, introjection, denial, devaluation;

paranoid personalities - projection, projective identification, unusual forms of denial and reactive formations;

depressive personalities - introjection, turning against oneself, idealization;

manic personalities - denial, outward reaction, sexualization, devaluation, in a psychotic state - omnipotent control;

masochistic personalities - like depressive introjection, turning against oneself, idealization, in addition - reacting outward (with the risk of harming oneself), denial, moral masochists - moralization;

obsessive personalities - isolation of affect, rationalization, moralization, separate thinking, intellectualization, reactive formation, displacement of affect;

compulsive personalities - reversal, reactive formation;

hysterical personalities - repression, sexualization, regression, antiphobic acting out outside, less often dissociative defenses;

dissociative personalities - dissociation.

Where do different types of protection come from?

The answer is paradoxical and simple: from childhood. A child comes into the world without psychological defense mechanisms, all of them are acquired by him at that tender age, when he is poorly aware of what he is doing, he is simply trying to survive, preserving his soul.

One of the ingenious discoveries of psychodynamic theory was the discovery of the crucial role of early childhood trauma. The earlier the child receives a mental trauma, the deeper layers of the personality are "deformed" in an adult. The social situation and the system of relations can give rise to experiences in the soul of a small child that will leave an indelible mark on a lifetime, and sometimes devalue it.

The task of the earliest stage of growing up, described by Freud, is to establish normal relations with the first "object" in the child's life - the mother's breast, and through it - with the whole world. If the child is not abandoned, if the mother is driven not by an idea, but by a subtle feeling and intuition, the child will be understood. If such an understanding does not occur - one of the most severe personal pathologies is laid - the basic trust in the world is not formed. The feeling arises and strengthens that the world is fragile, will not be able to hold me if I fall. This attitude to the world accompanies an adult throughout his life. Unconstructively solved tasks of this early age lead to the fact that a person perceives the world distortedly. Fear fills him. A person cannot soberly perceive the world, trust himself and people, he often lives with a doubt that he himself exists at all. Protection from fear in such individuals occurs with the help of powerful, so-called primitive, protective mechanisms.

Defense mechanisms by helping I'm in hard years its development, do not remove their barriers. The strengthened adult self continues to defend itself against dangers that no longer exist in reality, it even feels obliged to look for situations in reality that could at least approximately replace the original danger in order to justify the usual ways of reactions. Thus, it is not difficult to understand how defense mechanisms, becoming more and more alienated from the external world and weakening the ego for a long time, prepare an outbreak of neurosis, favoring it.

Starting with Z. Freud and in subsequent works of specialists studying the mechanisms of psychological defense, it has been repeatedly noted that the habitual for a person in normal conditions protection, in extreme, critical, stressful life conditions, has the ability to consolidate, acquiring the form of fixed psychological defenses.

2. The nature of depression

1 depression

Depression is a mental disorder and it has its own history, its own nature. At its core, this is a pathological, i.e., painful intensification of a normal, natural emotion for each of us - emotions of grief, sadness, suffering. As in any other system, we have both “weak links” and “defense mechanisms”. Somewhere our genes let us down, and somewhere we substitute ourselves. To understand all this means to find out: who is your enemy and who is your friend, who you can rely on and trust, and what, on the contrary, must be prevented in every possible way. That is why everything that at first seems to be just “bare theory” is actually a thorough and serious preparation for the great battle that we must give to our depression.

Negative emotional experiences, including, of course, the emotion of grief, are natural psychological reactions. But their cause is not at all the unfavorable external factors themselves, but the failure that the psyche experiences, forced to rebuild in new, changed circumstances. In other words, even normally, our negative emotions are not so much a primitive reaction to troubles as problems of the psyche itself, which cannot change as quickly as circumstances sometimes require.

And this point we should especially note. No matter how blasphemous it may sound, we all know very well that a person is able to get used to everything and come to terms with everything. Even the loss of loved ones, being a serious psychological trauma, turns out to be only a temporary tragedy. A month, another, a year or several years will pass, and this wound will heal, and a person will be able to live with the same psychological attitude. Consequently, the problem is not in the loss itself, but in the fact that the human psyche at some stage cannot cope with the changes that such a loss brings with it. If we could cut out these few months or years of life from the personal history of this person, make a montage, so to speak, we would see that there were no significant differences in the emotional state of this person before and after this tragedy.

Therefore, if it is about psychological state, into which life catastrophes plunge us, is only partly determined by the trauma itself, the severity of what happened. The main problem is in our brain, which is not able to quickly rebuild, instantly get used to the new, changed conditions of life. In some cases, however, such slowness turns into a new tragedy - a person gets used to his depressive state, and then simply cannot get out of it, since this would be a new violation of his now familiar - depressive lifestyle.

It must be taken into account that almost all people experience depression from time to time. In Pushkin's letters, starting in 1834, there are such phrases: "I have a decidedly spleen ...", "I started a lot, but there is no desire for anything ..." Or a letter from L. Andreev: "Insomnia has begun. I can't sleep - there's a paste in my head "I'm unwell ... There seem to be no visible reasons. Invisible - somewhere deep, in my soul. Everything hurts, I can't work, I quit what I started." Familiar and surprisingly similar symptoms, isn't it?

There is no person who does not know what a low mood, a feeling of depression and hopelessness is. Often we find excuses for our gloomy mood, but do we reveal true reason?

Different people talk about different and even opposite sources of their condition. The real causes of depression may be in an individual predisposition to experiencing severe emotional states: hypersensitivity, subtlety, insecurity, vulnerability. People who were brought up in conflict families are prone to depression, and in childhood they often experienced feelings of resentment, fear, humiliation and depression.

Among the causes of depression is also chronic stress, when for a long period a person feels insecure about the future, lives in conditions of instability, social and financial insecurity.

Some patients (especially men) tend to deny their feelings of sadness at first, but after all other depressive symptoms clear up, they tend to be aware and acknowledge the emotions they are experiencing. It is significant that many of those who choose the statement “I do not feel sad” from the first set of alternatives to the Beck Depression Scale change their answer to “I feel sad” after completing the entire questionnaire.

The patient may talk about a variety of symptoms associated with depression (eg, loss of energy, sleep disturbances, loss of appetite, negative attitudes), but does not admit to himself that he is sad or sad - instead, he complains of loss or weakening positive feelings, speaks of the absence of the former attachment and love for the spouse, children, friends, the loss of interest in life, the inability to enjoy the activities that once pleased him. In other words, he is aware of his apathy, but not his sadness.

For example, a 35-year-old housewife complained that during the year she noted increased fatigue, weakness, and apathy, although at the reception she looked quite cheerful and claimed that she did not feel unhappy and did not feel longing. She told the psychiatrist literally the following: “I don’t understand why I constantly feel so tired. I have a wonderful husband and wonderful children. I am perfectly content with my marriage... in fact, I have everything a man could want.” Fulfilling the therapist's request to tell more about her relationship with her husband, she began to describe a specific case from her family life and suddenly burst into tears - to her own astonishment and that of the therapist. It was difficult for her to reconcile her feelings of sadness with the rosy ideas she cherished about her marriage.

She sobbed as she recounted some of her husband's most typical actions. Then, calming down a bit, she said, "You know... I guess I didn't fully realize how much it hurt me." She stated that now she feels an unprecedented longing. The anguish increased as the patient became more and more aware that her relationship with her husband was far from ideal, and was a kind of barometer showing the depth of family problems. After the patient had learned to recognize her negative feelings, she was able to relate them to the knowledge she had, namely "He is inconsiderate of others", "He always does what is convenient for him", "He does not care what I want", " He treats me like an unintelligent child.”

As a result of a short therapeutic consultation, the patient found that the refusal to use absolute standards in evaluating her husband led to an alleviation of her anguish and alleviation of other depressive symptoms. Before therapy, it was common for her to evaluate her husband from the positions of “all or nothing”, to see in him either only good or only bad traits, and “bad ratings” were immediately discarded (and forgotten). Following the therapist's advice, she became more explicit about her husband's desires and was surprised to find that he was sympathetic to them. Almost at the same time, her former cheerfulness and energy returned to her. Curiously, for 15 years after that consultation, she did not have depressive symptoms.

2 Depression as a source of hidden anger

Repression is the inability to defend oneself.

Repression is seen as a means by which a person copes with normal, from the point of view of development, but unfulfilled desires. A person must achieve a sense of the integrity and continuity of his own "I" before he begins to restrain the impulses of repression that disturb him.

When we - or the order that has developed in our little world - is threatened by someone or something, we worry or get angry. The internal mechanisms of our psyche mobilize us for protection, to repel danger and to restore our sense of security and control of the situation. If such protection does not occur, depression sets in, an oppressed state of mind.

When depressed, we simply accept the situation, passively resigning ourselves to it. A much healthier psychological response would be to rise up to fight injustice.

Although such a reaction is much healthier, it cannot be said that it was typical for a woman to be aware of her feelings.

“I was struck by the sadness of Judy who called me, sounding in her words from the very beginning of the conversation,” writes Dr. Laura. In a voice filled with deep sadness, she described her situation, which could confuse anyone. Three years earlier, when she was forty-five, she confronted her father with the fact that he had raped her as a child, and he admitted it. But then he began to deny everything, stating that she had invented everything. And her mother sided with the "sweet daddy".

After that, Judy's husband cut off all ties with his father-in-law and didn't seem to see him again, but just before she called me, Judy suddenly found out that they had a meeting and they spent some time together. And now she, because of all this, "was in an oppressed and despondent state." Oppressed and despondent - but not angry? And when I said that a woman too often replaces her anger with depression, she agreed with me.

Anger is a manifestation of the highest degree of discontent and indignation. It is also a trigger mechanism of the psyche. Our anger can have many disguises: it can manifest itself as irritation, anxiety, resentment, rage or rage. But no matter under what mask he appears, the common denominator is the output of energy.

Little girls always get angry when things don't go their way. And with them there is always someone who knows: they don’t like something. What happens when girls grow up, become women and face events that can really make them angry?

Their reaction is different: self-doubt, complaints and the desire to evoke sympathy, they can blame themselves, fall into an oppressed state of mind, become confused - and much more. But all this has nothing to do with the desire to solve the problem on the basis of an objective approach, while showing courage.

Is this really because women do not realize the justice of their anger? The main problem here is that women are afraid of the consequences of their dissatisfaction. Therefore, anger takes the form of absent-mindedness, embarrassment, resentment or depression. By the way, women suffer from depression twice as often as men.

Take, for example, this letter from a twenty-eight-year-old girl who is about to get married after an engagement that took place a year and a half ago:

“Basically, we have a good relationship, but this is what interests me. We are well suited to each other sexually. But he ejaculates too quickly, and I resort to self-satisfaction. He says we have great sex, but he wants to experience an orgasm again, so he watches lesbian videos after I go to bed, and we make love 2-3 times a week. He uses a telephone sex service and doesn't tell me about it. Is his behavior normal? What does all of this mean?"

So, the girl realizes that she is unhappy, and is even able to express her concern, but does not give vent to her anger. Instead she plays Mind games and asks what it all means. If her fiancé gives her an outwardly reasonable explanation for his behavior, she will hide her feelings of resentment, rage and dissatisfaction as deeply as possible and will not give them a go.

Without giving vent to anger, women suffer from feelings of resentment. And while they are suffering from it, they will not take a single step in order to change the form of expression of their feelings in order to improve the situation or get away from an unfavorable situation.

Resentment deprives resistance.

Resentment is essentially a wound or some kind of damage, mainly inflicted on your personality. What we are discussing is not a broken knee or an overworked muscle; it is what causes pain in the emotional realm. This damage is more mental than physical. We are offended by such an attitude of other people towards us, which, in our opinion, we did not deserve and could not expect; we see that dreams are not considered. Resentment against a person is a clear indicator of how much we care about this person, and highlights our need - psychologically healthy or not - in this person.

When we are afraid of not meeting the demands of others by showing our resentment or sensitivity to insults, when we are afraid of arousing the ire of others, their disapproval or being punished, we find our anger in a completely inappropriate place to store. Courage can instantly heal us from such experiences: you need to find the strength in yourself, talk openly about the problem - and to your indescribable pleasure, find that you can get rid of these qualities in yourself!

2.3 Mechanisms of depression

Well, now we in general terms familiar with depression. But before proceeding to the analysis of its symptoms, we need to specify some points, namely, those mental mechanisms that create our depression.

The first mental mechanism involved in the formation of depression, the principle by which our brain works normally, is called the “dominant principle”. It was discovered by our wonderful physiologist, professor of St. Petersburg University Alexei Alekseevich Ukhtomsky. The essence of the dominant principle is literally as follows: when a certain center of the brain is excited, it gradually becomes dominant and suppresses (slows down) the work of other centers of the brain. Moreover, the excitement that arises in these non-dominant centers is redirected to maintain and strengthen the dominant center.

In other words, with depression there is almost a stalemate! A “depressive dominant” is formed in a person (a system of functioning of our brain with appropriate reactions, responses, relationships, depressive thoughts, etc., etc.). At the same time, other centers of the brain, on the contrary, are inhibited, and even more than that - they give up their excitement to the growing depression. A person suffering from depression finds himself in a kind of vicious circle precisely because of the principle of dominance. If we try to cheer him up, he gets even worse. If we try to distract him, he with surprising (but not for a physiologist or psychotherapist!) persistence returns to his old ideas and depression.

Simply put, after a person has fixed on some kind of depressive experience, it - this experience - begins an aggressive tactic. And if the depressive focus was first organized in one part of the brain, then very soon it will spread to other parts of it. Something was “bad”, everything will become “bad”.

The dominant of a depressed patient, like a black hole, devours everything and everything, and, despite all efforts, only grows and increases. Therefore, no treatment, except for a strictly and scientifically based antidepressant - pharmacological and psychotherapeutic - will not work. A.A. Ukhtomsky liked to say: "The world is what our dominants are." What is the "world" of a person with a depressive dominant, it should be clear ...

The second mental mechanism, which plays one of the most important roles in the development of depression, is the mechanism of the "dynamic stereotype" (or, more simply, habits), discovered and scientifically substantiated by Academician Ivan Petrovich Pavlov. Since a person gets used to everything, he is quite capable of getting used to his depressive state. And as you know, fighting a habit is a thankless task.

And so the people around us tell us: “Yes, this is all nonsense! Drop it! What are you winding yourself up for?! Do not think about it!" And we seem to agree with them, but in the head the old pandemonium still continues - "everything is bad, everything is bad." Do you think it's a coincidence? Yes? And apples fall to the ground "because they are heavy", right? No, apples fall to the ground because gravity forces act on them, and depression is held in our head not by itself, but by the mechanism of a dynamic stereotype.

The habit of suffering can be just a habit of suffering, and it is not necessarily depression. But on the other hand, the very psychological mechanism of habit can play a cruel joke on us if we develop depression. Here a kind of vicious circle arises - we fall into depression, get used to it, and then we are no longer able to get out of it. Moreover, if we have depression once, and the brain has learned to be "depressed", then in the future, the risk of depression in us increases significantly. If there is a prepared template, then it is always easier to fit new circumstances under it.

And the most terrible thing in all this is that nature, as we already know, has provided a biological mechanism for protecting our habit from changes. Therefore, whenever we try to reverse this pathological tendency to sadness and longing, the brain will automatically resist these attempts, generating anxiety and internal tension, as if wanting to punish us for trying to change the state of affairs that has been established in our brain. Since depression arose for these purposes, that is, in order for us to cope with destructive force anxiety, then such reactions of our psyche only increase depressive reactions.

Finally, the third fundamental mental mechanism that rules us in a state of depression is associated with the specifics of what is called language (or speech). We usually think that consciousness is "clear reason" and the unconscious is "dark forces". In a sense, this is true, but consciousness and the unconscious have a very difficult relationship - complexly organized, corrupt connections. Actually, these connections were again discovered by a Russian scientist, an outstanding researcher of human psychology - Lev Semenovich Vygotsky.

I would like to think that we are rational beings, and our consciousness fully controls our subconscious. Blessed is the one who believes, and yet he is not immune from the development of severe depression, since the situation is actually just the opposite here. It is not consciousness that controls our subconscious, but the subconscious, if it is not right, controls our consciousness. Consciousness obediently fulfills all instructions coming "from below", and, moreover, still wants to curry favor with this "bottom". And therefore, if a negative emotion sits in the subcortex, consciousness will not convince us that everything is fine. On the contrary, it will nurture and nurture a pessimistic, depressive ideology in every possible way.

Our emotions live in the unconscious. Consciousness can only accept their mood, and in case of depression it is appropriate. It is we ourselves, without suspecting it, that we will be forced to slander on our lives, concoct depressive lampoons about the "injustice of the world", our own "failure", "the futility of the future", etc., etc.

And therefore, such speeches in the mouth of a person suffering from depression are by no means an accident and, by and large, are not his opinion. This is the opinion of his depression, and his own at this moment is simply absent. The subconscious dictates the appropriate speeches to us, and our consciousness is only their spokesman. But what a capable, what a gifted and what a zealous performer it turns out to be in this case! The spirit is captivating! It is simply impossible to hear what a person who has got depression says and not admire the possibilities of "ideology" and "propaganda"!

Here is such a cunning and predatory beast - depression.

4 Excitation and inhibition

How does Martin Seligman's "learned helplessness" emerge? The answer to this question is given not by an American, but by Russian science. What nervous system It tends to be excited - it's not a secret for anyone, but the fact that this system itself can also be inhibited remained a mystery for a long time.

<Путь от амебы к человеку казался философам очевидным прогрессом - хотя неизвестно, согласилась бы с этим мнением амеба. - Бертран Рассел>

The question of braking was raised by the great Russian scientist - Ivan Mikhailovich Sechenov. Later this doctrine will be developed by N.E. Vvedensky, I.P. Pavlov and A.A. Ukhtomsky, it is they who will prove that inhibition is no less, and perhaps even a more important function of the nervous apparatus than excitation.

Braking is by no means the result of fatigue, it is a different, extremely specific form of activity. And if the processes of excitation produce some kind of activity in response to one or another stimulus, then inhibition, on the contrary, holds back, blocks such an action.

In fact, in dogs with “learned helplessness,” the anxiety that developed on the background of stress began to be inhibited, blocked. And this, of course, is a big plus for the body. However, this plus, like any medal, has a downside. The inhibition that develops in the brain cannot be limited to anxiety alone; it extends to other spheres of activity of a living being. That is why this initially protective mechanism later turns out to be fatal.

In a person who is depressed, the internal tension is so great that an overload occurs, and at some point, one might say, traffic jams fly out. As a result, a depressive patient is inhibited not only by his anxiety, but also by activities in various areas of his life - appetite decreases, as a result of which he loses weight, libido, and therefore he loses sexual attraction, comes into disrepair attention and memory.

The first thing a depressed patient will tell his doctor about is not that he has a low mood (this circumstance worries him just in the very least), no, he will share his surprise with the doctor. He is surprised at himself - his desires have disappeared, he wants nothing more, nothing at all, nothing pleases him and does not interest him, anhedonia develops - a state of inability to enjoy. Why? It was precisely because of that initially protective inhibition that tried to protect him from anxiety, and as a result, protected him from life itself. The loss of a sense of pleasure, a sense of joy, is painful. Remember the fairy tale about the sold laughter, and everything will become clear to you: such an existence, devoid of activity, joy, pleasure, is unusually painful.

So a person, falling into the hands of depression, on the one hand, protects himself from destructive anxiety, and on the other hand, on the contrary, in the literal sense of the word, exposes himself. And we must understand that when we begin to fight depression, we are fighting not just with the enemy, but with the enemy, to whose help we once resorted, and therefore we cannot immediately leave the alliance concluded with him.

On the other hand, being depressed, inhibited, we do not have sufficient strength to cope with depression. We can say that the processes of inhibition put our forces on the depositor, that is, we have these forces, as it were, but it is very, very difficult to use them. This, in fact, is the main problem of depression - a person finds himself in a situation of a pronounced lack of strength, and even those forces that he has left, he cannot use. Of course, all this only reinforces the feeling of hopelessness.

3. Mechanisms of psychological defense in reactive depression

Although reactive depression is now generally identified with neurotic depression or situational depression, the term originally referred to psychotic depression, which, unlike endogenous depression, occurs as a reaction to precipitating factors. Depressive mood develops in individuals experiencing changes or the threat of life changes. At the same time, an important psychodynamic factor is the conscious or unconscious perception of such changes as personal loss. The loss is usually easy to identify. This may be the betrayal of a lover, the death of a spouse, divorce, loss of a job, etc. However, in other situations it is necessary to establish its unconscious symbolic meaning. For example, a promotion may be experienced as a loss rather than a success if the lower status was used by the individual as a defense against an oedipal conflict; on an unconscious level, the loss of defensive adaptation leads to the guilt associated with the oedipal triumph: promotion symbolically means superiority over the father.

Many people who have formed the constancy of the object react sharply to changes. In order to adapt to the new conditions, they need to weaken the connection with the past, to experience the loss of what they have found, which is typical of the process of sadness. A person may experience difficulties after a loss, especially if they were too dependent on others to maintain their self-esteem. Individuals with this type of addiction are especially prone to situational depression. They maintain an intense but ambivalent internal relationship with the psychic representatives of the lost object. Love for the represented object leads to identification aimed at keeping it within oneself, while the feeling of hatred requires its destruction. Since the individual identifies with the lost object, he experiences these destructive forces as directed against himself. If at the same time the depressive symptoms are slightly expressed, this condition is designated as a depressive neurosis; however, situational depression can develop into more severe depression.

The emergence of reactive states is closely associated with the presence of a traumatic situation. The development of the latter is associated with a high degree negative subjective assessment of certain aspects of the surrounding reality. Such an assessment contributes to the transition of existing psychological defense mechanisms to a more intense functioning. The degree of awareness of the action of psychological protection is different depending on the duration of existence and the severity of the impact of psycho-traumatic factors. The occurrence of reactive depression is the result of the failure of individual defense mechanisms in the successful "experiencing" of the situation, which contributes to an increase in the level of anxiety, leading to the disintegration of mental activity.

The authors examined 18 cases of reactive depression that developed in premorbidly healthy individuals in psychotraumatic situations of various nature. In 12 observations, there was a clinical picture of depression with hysterical components in the form of theatricality of behavior, exaggeration of painful experiences, rental attitudes. In 6 cases of observations, there was a clinical picture of depression with psychomotor retardation.

In all cases of observation, against the background of a nonspecific compensatory reaction (depression), the former, noted in the premorbid period, mechanisms of psychological defense (denial, projections) were traced. As symptoms developed, these defense mechanisms became automated and became more rigid. In addition, there was a gradual inclusion of such psychological defense mechanisms as rationalization and repression.

When providing psychotherapeutic assistance, the main emphasis was on the patients' awareness of the failure and immaturity of the existing psychological defense mechanisms that prevent understanding the causes of the development of depressive symptoms. The gradual "refusal" of patients from the existing rigid defense mechanisms led to a decrease in the level of anxiety and a noticeable weakening of depressive symptoms.

Thus, the rate of reduction of reactive depressive symptoms depends on the speed of attaching additional defense mechanisms and the patient's awareness of the failure of the functioning of the "old" rigid defense mechanisms.

Everything that happens in mental life, as a result of which anxiety or depressive affect is reduced - ideally disappears - belongs to the class of defenses. Defenses are not special ego mechanisms..." (Brenner, 1982). Based on the above clinical picture of patients, it can be said that they use all sorts of complex behaviors for defensive purposes, and the interpretation of these defensive maneuvers has played a central role in their analyses.

A detailed description of the defense mechanisms - introjection, denial, projection, identification, rationalization, I will consider in the next chapter.

depression protective mental disorder

4. Defense mechanisms of the psyche in depressive states

1 Introjection

It is the symbolic internalization (inclusion in oneself) of a person or object. The action of the mechanism is opposite to the projection. Introjection plays a very important role in early development personality, because on its basis parental values ​​and ideals are assimilated. The mechanism is updated during mourning, with the loss of a loved one. With the help of introjection, the differences between the objects of love and one's own personality are eliminated. Sometimes, instead of anger or aggression towards other people, derogatory impulses turn into self-criticism, self-depreciation, because the accused has been introjected. This is common in depression.

It is well known, both from direct observations in natural settings and from empirical research, that in situations of fear or mistreatment, people try to master their fear and suffering by adopting the qualities of the tormentors. I'm not a helpless victim; I strike myself and I am powerful - people are unconsciously attracted to such protection. Understanding this mechanism is critical to the process of psychotherapy.

Another way in which introjection can lead to pathology is with grief and its relation to depression. When we love someone or are deeply attached to someone, we introject that person and their representation within us becomes part of our identity ( I am Tom's son, Mary's husband, Sue's father, Dan's friend etc). If the person whose image we have internalized is dead, separated from us, or rejected, we feel not only that the world around us has become poorer, but also that we ourselves have somehow decreased, some part of our own I died. The feeling of emptiness begins to dominate our inner world. Also, if, in seeking to recreate the presence of a loved object, instead of letting it go, we are preoccupied with the question of what our mistake or sin caused it to leave us. The attractive power of this usually unconscious process is based on the hope hidden in it that, having realized our mistake, we will return the person (another manifestation of infantile omnipotence). Thus, if we try to avoid grief, we get unconscious self-reproach in return. In its most general form, the psychoanalytic approach to depression is formulated in the classic work of Z. Freud "Sorrow and Melancholy". Depression is associated with the loss of the object of libidinal attachment. According to Z. Freud, there is a phenomenological similarity between the normal reaction of mourning and clinically pronounced depression.

The mechanism of the emergence of grief can be represented as follows: an individual, having lost the object of attachment, introjects it and begins to feel hatred for it. In the period of grief, "bright intervals" are possible, when the ability to experience positive emotions and even be happy returns to a person. In these episodes, the introjected object seems to come to life in the inner plane of the individual, but there is always more hatred for the object than love, and depression returns. The individual believes that the object is to blame for leaving him. Normally, over time, the internalized object is freed from hatred, and the ability to experience happiness returns to the individual, regardless of whether the internalized object has "revived" or not.

If, over time, a person is not able to internally separate from the beloved being, whose image he has introjected, and cannot emotionally switch to other people (which is the function of the mourning process), he will continue to feel reduced , unworthy, exhausted and lost. People who systematically use introjection to reduce anxiety and maintain their integrity I by maintaining psychological bonds with unsatisfactory objects early years of life can rightly be regarded as characterologically depressive.

2 Rationalization

E. Fromm noted that rationalization is a way to "stay in the herd" and feel like a person.

Rationalization is the process of a logical, rational explanation by a person of his own thoughts, actions, attitudes, actions, allowing him to justify and hide their true motives. The idea of ​​rationalization was contained in the works of many writers and scientists, since this phenomenon is widespread in people's lives.

The student explains what he did not do homework because he was busy with more important things; the entrepreneur is not ashamed to hide his income because "everyone does it"; the rejected admirer believes that the girl is not so attractive, and he will find himself, who is not only more beautiful, but smarter and understands him better; an applicant who did not enter the university says that there are many such specialists now and it is difficult to find a good job.

Rationalization is based on the peculiarities of thinking, making decisions by "filtering" information in accordance with the basic rules between "should" and "should not" and obtaining the conclusion you need at the moment to justify your act (the presence of arguments, evidence, justifications, the need for just such, not any other form of behavior). Subsequently, the individual, as a rule, does not try to revise these relationships.

The rationalization mechanism is close to intellectualization, but in the first case, the entire selection of facts by a person is aimed at proving the assertion or denial of the goal, while in the second - its value. Rationalization is more associated with motivation, intellectualization is a logical-perceptual component of psychological defense.

For example, if a person buys a very large apartment, explaining that there is a lot of furniture, things, household appliances, then he may have hidden a true prestige motive to justify the correctness of his decision. Personality replaces the actual motive of behavior with a "rational pseudo-motive".

People who use rational protection try to build their conception as a panacea for anxiety based on various points of view. They think about all the options for their behavior and their consequences in advance. And emotional experiences are often masked by increased attempts to rationally interpret events. Consider the situation of Oblomov, in particular his letter to Olga. Oblomov is afraid of Olga's love, she will "pull" him out of his usual state of laziness and peace of mind. This love is troublesome for him. Oblomov is afraid that love for Olga will become "not a luxury of life", but a necessity. As he writes himself: “All this (heart troubles, anxieties and joys) suits the face of youth, which easily endures both pleasant and unpleasant excitements; and peace suits me, although boring, sleepy, but it is familiar to me: and I can’t control storms.

What a Jesuit-intellectual device he resorts to in his letter! He tries to explain to Olga that her love, although sincere, is “not real; it is only an unconscious need to love, which, due to the lack of true love, burns with a false, unwarming light. Her love for him, they say, is only a threshold, a prologue. And when she (love) really comes, she will be ashamed.

Rationalization plays a positive role when a person lives in situations that cause negative experiences, is depressed and, thereby, making it possible to better adapt to them. However, the frequent use of this psychological defense mechanism leads to an inadequate assessment of emerging problems based on a series of deceptive self-justifications.

If a person cannot find a worthy intellectual justification for his actions that justifies his actions, then this manifests itself in slips of the tongue, slips of the tongue, and incorrect gestures. They, as if by their chance, relieve the individual from the search for worthy explanations and proofs.

Sometimes rationalization-type protection plays a truly adaptive role, allowing a person to reduce the level of emotional stress without any harm to himself or others. Let us recall the behavior of the fox in Krylov's fable "The Fox and the Grapes". Convinced of the unattainability of the goal, the fox, instead of gnawing at herself for insufficient dexterity and perseverance, explained to herself that she did not want these grapes at all. Such a devaluation of an unrealizable need is a very important component of protection, especially if an unattainable goal is replaced by an achievable one.

The fight against rationalization is quite difficult. So, M.E. Litvak suggests that at the first stage, the individual should recognize the truth of his desires, thoughts and feelings, and later - try to act in accordance with them.

3 Suppression and displacement

Suppression and repression are the most "simple, direct and unsophisticated" defense mechanisms imaginable!

Suppression is the restriction of thoughts or actions in order to avoid those that may cause anxiety.

When suppressed, a person frankly denies himself that “it happened” to him, that is, the information has not yet gone into the unconscious, but hangs somewhere in the preconscious: between consciousness and the unconscious - in the middle.

Repression is the active pushing out of the consciousness of painful memories, feelings, impulses. For example, a hysteric who suffers from frigidity suppresses feelings of sexual arousal and also loses memories of sexual feelings that led to conflict in early childhood.

A young girl who had recently lost her beloved father, whom she was caring for, showed great sympathy for her son-in-law, whom her older sister had just married, which, however, could easily be disguised as kindred tenderness. This sister of the patient fell ill and died in the absence of her mother and our patient. Those who were absent were hurriedly summoned, and they had not yet received information about the sad event. When the girl came to bed dead sister, she had for a moment a thought that could be expressed approximately in the following words: now he is free and can marry me. We must consider it quite certain that this idea, which betrayed to her consciousness a strong love for her son-in-law, which she was unconscious of, was immediately repressed by the outburst of her sorrowful feelings. The girl got sick. Severe hysterical symptoms were observed. When the treatment began, it turned out that she had radically forgotten the described scene at the bedside of her sister and the disgustingly selfish desire that arose in her. She remembered this during the treatment, reproduced the pathogenic moment with signs of strong mental agitation, and thanks to this treatment she became healthy.

Drinking is a very clever way of escaping from reality. Chernyshevsky was damn right when he described the exploits of the student Lopukhov and privately reported that drinking, dear comrades, is sometimes much more profitable than not drinking! Firstly, if before the beginning of unrestrained drunkenness you were distinguished by at least some talent, then this talent is no longer necessary to implement.

A capable person who has certain achievements in the past periodically goes into drinking bouts, as he refuses to admit that he cannot catch up and overtake other acquaintances with whom he incognito (again refusing to do so publicly) compares himself. Secondly, it is much easier not to support your loved ones, but to take it and drink it down.

In general, about drunkenness, Eric Berne has a cooler theory when he considers this phenomenon in the form of such a role-playing game, where not only the alcoholic himself, but also all other characters get high.

4 Projection or transfer

Projection is the attribution of one's motives or personal characteristics to other people, when a person not only displaces knowledge about his own desires, but also moves them outside his personality.

We tend to believe that the world is as we see it, that people are as we imagine them to be. We transfer our own thoughts, feelings, experiences to others. The projection in this case can be considered as the transposition of the subjective internal content onto the external object. This process is unconscious. It reveals itself as a spontaneous, not a volitional act.

When the next candidate State Duma, disheveled and red, screams from the screen, literally falling out of the TV, that the current politicians sold everything, pilfered and plundered, I, as a thinking person, have a counter question: “Didn’t you have time? Why are you so excited?" If you spit in the direction of every jeep passing by, then the jeep is your innermost dream, which you deny yourself, whether you like it or not. The protective mechanism is called protective because, firstly, it removes negative emotional states; secondly, it distorts reality; and thirdly, it proceeds at an unconscious level, so that people are usually not aware of their defense mechanisms.

In psychoanalysis, transference is a process in which one person projects their own feelings onto another.

For example, such a situation: a family has been married for many years, but there are no children. A woman lives with constant hope for a miracle, periodically being in depressive states. Over time, the woman's psyche mobilizes a protective transference mechanism in relation to her husband. She begins to unconsciously treat him like a child, showing the following qualities: excessive guardianship, lisping, indulging her husband's whims.

A classic example of projection is the case described by Freud, when a woman turned to him with jealousy against her husband, who seemed to be cheating on her. A psychiatric study showed that the woman suffered from delusions of jealousy. And psychoanalytic research showed that the reason for the delusions of jealousy was the strong sexual feelings that this woman experienced for her son-in-law. But her high moral principles did not even allow her to think about it (she did not even think about it, because the conflict was unconscious), so the psychological defense of projection was the way out of this conflict. The desire for adultery was unconsciously attributed to the husband, which saved the woman from the reproaches of her conscience (since the husband is so bad, then she is not so bad).

4.5 Identification or identification

Since identification seems to be a tool for all occasions, it is more often used as a defense in cases of emotional stress, depression (when existing subjective ideas about who you are are being tested for strength). Obviously, death and loss push for identification with the lost object of love, and then with those who will take the place of the lost person in the emotional world. The desire of teenagers to find heroes with whom they could compete in trying to cope with complex requirements foggy youth observed for many centuries. In fact, the alarming rise in teen suicides in recent years has been linked by some psychoanalysts to the dissatisfaction of today's teens with today's heroes offered by Western culture.

Apparently, some people are identified more easily and flexibly than others, representing, as it were, blotter that absorbs any psychological ink. Obviously, the risk group includes those who suffer even in the slightest degree from the violation of basic identity. The conversion experience contains a significant component of identification as a defense. Even perfectly healthy people with some identity disturbance (for example, women with hysterical character organization and an unconscious feeling that her gender is a problem) may identify more than others with someone in the environment who gives the impression that he is better coping with life. difficulties.

Perhaps a person's ability to identify with new love objects is the main way people are freed from emotional suffering, and one of the main ways psychotherapy uses to bring about change.

Identification in a state of depression: endless self-blame as a manifestation of aggression towards an introjected object, considered as revenge on the part of the ego. To avoid self-punishment, revenge is invoked. In this case, all types of libido are used (interaction with the outside world no longer takes place).

A depressed young man, whose father was an abusive and alcoholic father, came to therapy for symptoms of abdominal pain and fear that he might harm his own children. He could not imagine the inner sense of security, or, in general, that he creates a safe, loving environment for his family. He had an internalized violent inner father who could not be trusted to keep his composure. Once he saw a man on the street beating his child. Out of control, he attacked his father with such fury that the police had to be called.

He identified with the threatened child and this caused him great anxiety. Because of his anxiety, he could no longer restrain his aggression, his violent internal object, which was projected onto the father of the child.

Identification can be briefly characterized by an ancient saying: "In Rome, one must be a Roman" or "To live with wolves - howl like a wolf."

6 Denial

Denial - the desire not to take for reality events that are undesirable for oneself: both real and long past. For example, many people are afraid of serious illnesses. A person who has a denial mechanism will not notice the presence of obvious symptoms of the disease. The mechanism of denial allows you to ignore the traumatic manifestations of reality. Denial often occurs in family relationships, when one of the spouses completely ignores the existence of problems with a partner.

Examples include the case of a mixed and disfavored leader who still continues to present himself as if he is still a prominent statesman, or the case of a family avoiding talking about a sick or dying relative in order to avoid painful feelings.

This is a psychological defense, which is known in several, quite different forms. The most primitive form is the gross regulation of sensory and perceptual functions through desensitization to certain selective stimuli or events.

The prototype of a primitive form of denial is sleep as a psychophysiological process that helps to relieve general fatigue and emotional tension. In general, denial includes the ability to intrapsychically increase the thresholds for detecting a signal, which leads to a decrease in the volume of incoming sensory information that has a negative meaning for a person. In this case, denial works as a protective filter: designed to prevent sensory information from reaching the level of cognitive processing, acting on the principle of “I listen, but I don’t hear, I look, but I don’t see.”

In modern research in psychology and psychophysiology, this form of denial is known as perceptual defense, which is intensively studied in Russia by E.A. Konstadiev and his students. Acting as a sensory filter, perceptual defense naturally distorts information about the situation and the subject, and thus forms an inadequate "I-image" and an image of the environment. More complex shape denial relies on a more or less complete image of the environment, but at the same time introduces interference and errors into the process of processing the information received, restructuring it in such a way that even potentially traumatic aspects become unrecognizable by the subject. This property of intellectual processes does not allow a person to have objective information about the degree of danger of events, does not allow him to form a correct forecast of events. In general, denial, even in this more accurate and modern form, reduces the intellectual capabilities of a person in favor of complacency and optimism.

Most of us resort to denial to some degree with the worthy goal of making life less unpleasant, and many people have their own particular areas where this defense prevails over others. In extreme circumstances, the ability to deny the danger to life at the level of emotions can be life-saving.

The most obvious example of a defensive structure is mania as the denial of depression gives the patient a "respite" from feelings of despair. The transition between depression and mania is tantamount to a transition between states of exaggerated dependence on external I objects to the complete negation of this dependence. The pendulum movement from depression to mania and back from these positions is a kind of "respite" from the burden of responsibility, but a respite is very conditional, since both poles of this movement are equally uncomfortable: depression is unbearable, and mania is unreal.

When in a manic state, people can deny their physical needs, sleep needs, financial difficulties, personal weaknesses and even their own mortality. While depression makes it completely impossible to ignore the painful facts of life, mania makes them psychologically irrelevant. People for whom denial is the main defense are manic in nature. This category has also been characterized by the word "cyclothymia" (alternating emotions), since it tends to alternate between manic and depressive moods, usually not reaching clinical.

Denial can be defined as a refusal to recognize reality at two levels: at the level of what actually happens and at the level of feelings. Let's see how denial prepares the little girl to be the woman who loves too much. Her father, for example, could rarely spend the night at home because of an affair with an outside woman. Telling herself and hearing from other family members that he was "busy at work," the girl denied that there were any problems between her parents. This prevented her from feeling fear for the strength of the family and for her own well-being. She also told herself that her father was working hard, from which compassion arose for him instead of the feelings of anger and shame that are inevitable when faced with the truth. In this way, she denied both reality itself and her feelings about this reality, and created an illusion that was easier for her to live with. As she trained, she became very skilled at insulating herself from suffering, but at the same time, she lost the ability to freely choose her actions. Her denial had become an automatic, subconscious habit.

Conclusion

In the process of this course work, we considered that in psychology the effect of the so-called unfinished action has long been known. It lies in the fact that any obstacle leads to an interruption of the action until the obstacle is overcome or the person refuses to overcome it. The works of many researchers show that unfinished actions form a tendency towards their completion, and if direct completion is not possible, a person begins to perform substitution actions. It can be assumed that the mechanism of psychological defense is just some specialized forms that replace actions. Defense mechanisms begin their action when the achievement of the goal in a normal way is impossible.

It should also be noted that people rarely use any single defense mechanism - they usually use various defense mechanisms.

In my term paper, I tried to identify: when unconscious conflicts become too intense due to insufficient effectiveness and a limited set of defense mechanisms, neurotic symptoms appear, which, in turn, can be considered as defensive reactions accompanied by depression. Based on the examples considered in this paper, we can conclude that the unconscious use of defense mechanisms during depression helps to reduce the level of negative emotions, as well as, over time, get out of depression and gain the ability to experience happiness.

Depression affects not only thoughts and feelings, but also the behavior and physical condition of a person. It can be provoked by mental trauma - divorce, dismissal from work, loss of a loved one. Depression can start in a person of any age. Women suffer from depression twice as often as men.

Defense mechanisms are pathways used by the psyche in the face of internal and external danger. In each case, psychological energy is used to create a defense, thereby limiting the flexibility and strength of the ego. The action of defense mechanisms can lead to a distortion of the picture of needs, and can also serve as an obstacle to solving the problem and eliminating the causes of anxiety. Freud observed that we all use defense mechanisms to some extent, and this becomes undesirable only if we rely on them excessively; the functions of psychological defense are contradictory in nature: on the one hand, they contribute to the adaptation of a person to his own inner world, but at the same time, on the other hand, they can worsen adaptability to the external social environment.

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