subject: Kinds of Mental Defenses [print this page] Kinds of Mental Defenses Kinds of Mental Defenses
Kinds of Mental Defenses
The behaviors people use as defense mechanisms keepthe world at arm's length and their true feelings buried.Blaming is a form of protection. People who play thevictim role are often rigid in their belief that the world isout to get them, and they are never the reason for their problems. 1 like to tell people that every time 1 point afinger at you there are three fingers pointing back at me. I recognize a fault in you because 1 have it in me, and thatmakes me mad!Judging is a related form of defense.Those who are the harshest judges of others are also the hardest on themselves, and this provides a clue to workwith them on elevating their self-esteem.
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Patronizing is a favorite defense of those who feel inferior to others. They project a false sense of superiorityfor protection. Patronizing is especially common among patients who hold some status in the outside world. Theywear their arrogance as a mask until they feel saf& enoughto discard it. Others useintellectualizing, explaining, andjustifying, doing a lot of verbal gymnastics to avoid identifying their feelings. They are often skilled at anotherdefense,generalizing.
Projecting is another common defense mechanism.People who use it will confront omers for something theydo themselves. Whenever a patient becomes upset overthe behavior of another patient in treatment, it usually means they are observing what they don't like aboutthemselves.
Smiling and complying are defenses used a lot bypeople-pleasers.Withdrawing or going into a deepdepression are defenses used by passive types who work hard atmaking people guess what's wrong with them. They may get annoyed when 1 tell them, "I'm not a good guesser.You'll have totell me what's wrong." 1 am a good guesser,because I know how to read nonverbal behavior, but Iwon't play into their defenses. Then there are those whouse joking orminimizing as a defense.
People can use any of these defense mechanismsoccasionally and the behavior may be seen as a protectivereaction to a particularly stressful situation, not a habitualpractice. We look for patterns, behaviors people use con sistently. None of these mechanisms Work in treatment.They are identified for what they arebehaviors thatmask true feelingsfirst by the counselors and then bythe others in treatment.
People develop defense mechanisms to protect themselves when they lack other resources. There's always apayoff and we have to help them figure out what thepayoff is. When it's identified, people often recoil withdistaste at finding they exhibit the very behavior theyabhor in others, and they work hard to find a more truthful way to present themselves.
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