Describe the purpose of Freud’s defense mechanisms.
Contrast the main defense mechanisms in Freud’s theory.
Review
Select the NEXT button to continue with the Review.
1. From Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic perspective, a person’s personality has three components: the ego struggles to control and satisfy the sexual and aggressive impulses of the id in a way that doesn’t offend the superego (the voice of our conscience).
Review
Select the NEXT button to continue with the Review.
2. But the differing motives of the id and superego create an uncomfortable friction (shown as a fire in this illustration). This conflict causes anxiety, and the ego tries to reduce this anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality.
Review
Select the NEXT button to continue with the Review.
3. The ego's protective methods are called defense mechanisms, shown here as a wall blocking the conflict from reaching the ego's awareness.
Review
Select the NEXT button to continue with the Review.
4. The most basic defense mechanism is repression, which gets rid of the anxiety from uncomfortable thoughts and memories by pushing those thoughts into the unconscious. Repression, which applies specifically to memory, is sometimes confused with another defense mechanism called regression, in which a person avoids anxiety-provoking situations by psychologically escaping to an earlier era in his or her development. For example, a college student might react to a failing exam grade by crawling into bed and hugging a stuffed animal.
Review
Select the NEXT button to continue with the Review.
5. Two of the defense mechanisms are aimed at making you feel better about yourself. Rationalization provides false, socially acceptable explanations for your behavior in place of the actual reasons. Reaction formation converts your unacceptable impulses into the opposite actions, allowing you to believe that your feelings and desires are completely different from your real feelings.
Review
Select the NEXT button to continue with the Review.
6. The final pair of defense mechanisms involves a person changing direction. Projection involves changing the source of your troubling impulses by denying that they belong to you and instead attributing them to other people. Displacement involves changing the target of your unacceptable actions, redirecting those actions toward convenient or safe persons rather than the real objects of your impulses.
Practice 1: Exploring the Defense Mechanisms
Roll over each term for a defense mechanism to see a brief description from Freud’s perspective.
displacement
reaction formation
rationalization
repression
regression
projection
displacement
reaction formation
rationalization
repression
regression
projection
shifts sexual or aggressive impulses toward a more acceptable or less threatening object or person
unconsciously switches unacceptable impulses into their opposites
offers self-justifying explanations in place of the real, more threatening, unconscious reasons for one's actions
banishes anxiety-arousing thoughts and memories from consciousness; the most basic defense mechanism
copes with anxiety by retreating to an earlier stage of development, where some psychic energy remains fixated
disguises one's own threatening impulses by attributing them to others
Practice 2: Defense Mechanisms in Action
Roll over each statement to see which of Freud’s defense mechanisms is illustrated in that situation.
Martin has hated his father since childhood. Since these feelings create tension for him, he is constantly trying to convince his friends that he both loves and respects his father.
Although Aadil has a good memory for most things, he regularly forgets to pay his bills on time.
When wages fell and jobs disappeared in the 1930s, violent crimes against recent immigrants increased.
After failing in her effort to establish a new business, a young woman returned home to her parents and expected unconditional love and indulgence.
In defending his embezzlement of thousands of dollars from his employer, Yoshi claimed he had been severely underpaid for more than a decade, and he was simply taking what was rightfully his.
Sonia often accuses other women of being sexually promiscuous and unable to maintain close, committed relationships. Those who know Sonia believe she is merely revealing her own difficulties in maintaining intimate relationships.
reaction formation
repression
displacement
regression
rationalization
projection
Quiz 1
Drag each of the terms for Freud’s defense mechanisms to the gray area in front of the appropriate description. When all the terms have been placed, select the CHECK ANSWER button.
Quiz 2
Match the scenarios with the correct terms for defense mechanisms by dragging each colored circle to the appropriate gray circle. When all the circles have been placed, select the CHECK ANSWER button.