**\#️⃣ Tags:** #Concept --- Psychological Defence Mechanisms are the (mostly) unconscious psychological adaptive strategies we employ to protect ourselves from pain, anxiety, stress and conflict. The concept was first introduced by [[Sigmund Freud]] in his psychoanalytic theory as early as the 1890s and was later expanded on by many other psychoanalysts. In terms of [[Freud's model of the Psyche]], it is the ego that utilises defence mechanisms to protect itself as it mediates the conflict between the [[The Id is the source of instinctual desire|Id]], external reality and the [[The superego represents the moral expectations of parents, culture and society|Superego]]. When someone goes into analysis, therapy or coaching, it usually takes a while to make meaningful progress because these defences block, divert and hinder the process. In this way, they are essentially egoic defence strategies. Other traditions or schools might call these "complexes", "patterns" or "samskaras". In [[✦ Parts Work]], we call these Protector Parts. The key to remember with defence mechanisms is that they happen pretty quickly and automatically, and because they've been happening for a longtime (probably since childhood), we're typically unaware of them. Anyone who has experienced [[Trauma is not the event, it's our internal experience|Trauma]] of some kind (which is pretty much everyone) can be fairly certain that one or more of these mechanisms will be evident in the patterning of their lives. Whilst learning about defence mechanisms is (I think) fascinating and can help to increase your own self-awareness whilst gaining insight into what might be driving the behaviour of others around you, they aren't super useful past this point. This is because simply knowing about them doesn't offer any way to work with them in direct experience. [[Parts Work]] is a highly effective practice to directly work with your own defence mechanisms, particularly since [[Parts Work is an effective practice to soften egoic defences|it is an effective practice to soften egoic defences]]. # Explore Defence Mechanisms | Mechanism | How it Works | Purpose | Typical Awareness [^1] | Expression [^2] | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------- | | [[Repression is the unconscious act of blocking feelings and emotions\|Repression]] | Blocking feelings/emotions | Avoid distress | Deeply hidden; usually surfaces in therapy or dreams | Inward | | [[Suppression is the conscious act of setting feelings and emotions aside\|Suppression]] | Setting aside feelings/emotions | Put off dealing with emotions | Easily recognised | Inward | | [[Denial is the inability or refusal to acknowledge or accept reality\|Denial]] | Refusing to accept reality | Protect from painful truths | Almost always unrecognised unless reality forces confrontation | Inward | | [[Dissociation is the disconnection and withdrawal from external reality\|Dissociation]] | Disconnection/withdrawal from reality | Protect from overwhelming stress | Possibly recognised in hindsight; feels like zoning out in the moment | Inward | | [[Projection is the act of pushing unacceptable emotions onto someone else\|Projection]] | Pushing one's emotions onto someone else | Avoid self-awareness of emotions | Difficult to recognise without outside reflection | Outward | | [[Introjection is the act of integrating the projections of others into ourselves\|Introjection]] | Integrating other's projections into ourselves | Security and formation of identity | Difficult to recognise without outside reflection or deep self-reflection | Inward | | Internalisation | Taking on external experiences which effect our [[Our sense of self unfolds intersubjectively, not separately\|self-concept]] | Regulate emotions and form [[Our sense of self unfolds intersubjectively, not separately\|self-concept]] | Often unrecognised, but can be reflected upon over time | Inward | | [[Identification is the act of taking on someone else's identity as if it were your own\|Identification]] | Taking on someone else's identity as if it were our own | Strengthen [[Our sense of self unfolds intersubjectively, not separately\|self-concept]] | Possibly recognised | Inward | | [[Projective Identification compels others to take on projected emotions\|Projective Identification]] | Making others take on projected emotions | Externalise emotional burdens | Completely unrecognised by the person doing it, but only felt by the person receiving it | Outward & Relational | | [[Splitting causes us to become polarised, seeing things as all good or all bad\|Splitting]] | Viewing things as either all good or all bad | Simplify complexity and reduce stress | Usually unrecognised in the moment; can be recognised in hindsight | Inward | | [[Displacement is the act of redirecting emotions to a safer target\|Displacement]] | Redirecting emotions to someone safer | Avoid conflict or risk | Possibly recognised in hindsight | Outward | [^1]: Describes how easy or hard it typically is to notice in ourselves. [^2]: Describes whether the mechanism is directed inward or outward. **Inward:** affects us internally, often distorts perceptions and/or emotions. **Outward:** is mostly externalised and placed onto others. **Outward & Relational:** same as outward, except there's a feedback loop that affects relationships with others.