Ego Defenses

Ego defenses, also known as defense mechanisms, are psychological strategies that the ego, a central component of Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic theory, uses to protect itself from feelings of anxiety, discomfort, or threats arising from the conflicts between the id (the instinctual desires) and the superego (the internalized moral and societal standards). These defense mechanisms operate unconsciously and can help individuals cope with various situations, but they can also contribute to unhealthy psychological patterns if overused.

There are several ego defenses that Freud and subsequent psychologists have identified. Here are some common examples:

1. Denial: Refusing to accept or acknowledge reality to avoid the anxiety associated with it. For example, someone diagnosed with a serious illness might deny the diagnosis and downplay its significance.

2. Projection: Attributing one's own unacceptable thoughts, feelings, or qualities to another person. For instance, if someone has aggressive tendencies, they might accuse others of being aggressive instead.

3. Rationalization: Creating logical explanations or justifications for behavior that is actually driven by unconscious motives. An example would be someone justifying their excessive drinking as a way to relax and unwind.

4. Displacement: Redirecting emotional impulses from their original source to a less threatening target. An example is someone who is angry at their boss but takes out their anger on a family member.

5. Sublimation: Channeling socially unacceptable impulses or desires into more socially acceptable activities. An artist who channels their aggressive tendencies into creating intense and powerful artwork is an example of sublimation.

6. Regression: Reverting to an earlier developmental stage to cope with stress. For instance, an adult might revert to childlike behaviors during times of extreme stress.

7. Reaction Formation: Expressing the opposite of one's true feelings in order to reduce anxiety. Someone who feels attraction towards someone but acts aggressively towards them might be using reaction formation.

8. Suppression: Consciously pushing disturbing thoughts, feelings, or memories out of awareness. Unlike other defense mechanisms, suppression is a conscious effort.

9. Intellectualization: Dealing with difficult emotions by focusing on rational and intellectual aspects. For example, someone who has lost a loved one might focus solely on the logistics of the funeral arrangements to avoid addressing their grief.

10. Undoing: Attempting to reverse or negate an unacceptable thought or action through a compensatory behavior. For instance, after having an angry outburst, a person might try to make amends by excessively praising or helping others.

These defense mechanisms can serve as adaptive ways to manage anxiety and stress temporarily. However, if they become too rigid or frequent, they can interfere with personal growth, relationships, and emotional well-being. Psychotherapy and self-awareness are often used to help individuals recognize and work through these defense mechanisms in order to achieve healthier psychological functioning.

[SamaC]

Glad you showed “how do we correct this” !?
I see this clearly now
It’s in a lot of people
It’s normalized

[idiotattackedbywarthog]

I love this list. Going to write it down and get more familiar of these in myself and in others. 44.2K followers! Just proves how valuable your videos are ;)

[portiafielies]

was really good and helped me to understand ..thank you

[AJ-moik]

Is this connected to narcissism?
Could you explain the link

[Jameson-dx]

Curious, my spouse has an often-used defense mechanism I can't identify with any on the list. She has bad habits with interrupting/talking over, diverting conversations, etc. and when called out for this she avoids the years long trend of repeated behavior and makes an excuse/justifies THAT one single instance while ignoring the big picture. What is that?

[angelolivares]

I always thought I was a repressor but it turns out I might be a suppressor. Sometimes I don't talk about the things that are bothering me at the moment and then talk about them when many of them have piled up inside so I guess I was not repressing I was suppressing my feelings. Still working on that because many problems have brought to my life and others that behavior

[molotovmafia]

i'd argue that sublimation and humor are not necessarily all good.
for example, i oftentimes use self-deprecating humor or laugh at things i'm scared of but this reduces the bad feeling only temporarily and doesn't address the root of the problem. as of sublimation - i channel my anger and aggression into activism but doesn't this have the capacity to turn me too dogmatic and violent?