Each one of us at one time or another has used things that are known as defense mechanisms. These are things methods our mind uses in order to cope with realities of distressing situations. They are a natural occurrence that are like executable programs in the computer known as the human brain. Helping us cope with society using defense mechanisms occasionally is normal and even healthy. However, if done too much, they may become a problem and even develop into something more serious such as a psychological disorder.
The following are defense mechanisms we use or have used one time or another in our lives:
Repression – when we banish thoughts, feelings, and memories that cause stress and are then locked away into the unconscious
Regression – when we retreat to earlier modes of behavior in the face of stress because it is more comfortable
Reaction Formation – when our ego transforms stressful feelings or impulses into the opposite
Rationalization – when we make excuses that are made for actions taken
Displacement – when we displace anger onto someone or something that has nothing to do with what angered us
Some of the defense mechanisms, such as repression, regression, and reaction formation can be used occasionally since they do indeed relieve us form our distress while simultaneously not at the expense of anyone or anything else. However, other defense mechanisms such as rationalization and displacement can pose a threat to the wellbeing of someone or something else which is not localizing the problem with the individual but looking for ridding of the distress through blame of another. With rationalization, for example, a lie we create as an excuse can hurt another individual personally and might even create trouble for that person by what you have said in order to shift the blame. With displacement, such as a father yelling at his daughter without provocation after coming home from a difficult day at work, is directly harming another individual that had nothing to do with the bad day at work and this can create distress in the lives of others.
Using defense mechanisms on occasion when we are not able to cope with a particularly distressful situation is perfectly normal. However, we must not allow our minds to overuse them because we may create a large problem in the long run. Use them spairingly and wisely and you will ensure that your mental health is in good health.
