Psychological protection refers to a special regulatory system of personality stabilization aimed at minimizing the consequences of negative experiences. Its function is to protect consciousness from traumatic negative experiences. The protective mechanisms of the psyche are aimed at the complete or partial elimination of feelings of anxiety arising from a conflict that jeopardizes personal integrity.
Types of psychological defense
Mental reactions usually do not free a person from a problem, but only temporarily protect him, helping to "survive" in a crisis situation. Psychological protection only “protects”, and the problem remains and is transferred to all close people and family members. A person in ordinary life becomes strange, notorious and inadequate.
The formation of a reaction is a state where one emotional aspect of the situation is exaggerated in order to suppress the opposite emotion. For example, extreme punctuality to exclude the desire to be independent and free.
Repression - painful memories and feelings, impulses are pushed out of consciousness. A person simply “didn’t”, “forgot”, “didn’t”.
Asceticism is a renunciation of pleasures with a proud and self-confident appearance.
Canalization of aggression on others is manifested with a hidden sense of guilt.
The opposite feeling is the redirection of an impulse towards yourself or another person, the transformation of his behavior from active to passive (sadism passes into masochism or vice versa).
Sublimation is the transformation of energy, aggression into political activity, and sex into creativity.
Denial - the deliberate disregard for realities that cause pain as if they were not there: “did not hear,” “did not see,” and more; ignoring obvious signals, incentives.
Transfer (moving, transfer) - changing the object that caused feelings. It manifests itself by transferring the reaction from a real and dangerous object to a relatively safe one (to children or other people).
Splitting - the separation of the negative and the positive in the images of objects and the "I", ie change of assessments of oneself and others, inaccurate assessment.
Phobias - restriction of actions and thoughts in order to avoid those that can cause anxiety, fear.
Identification with the aggressor is an imitation of the behavior or aggressive manner of external authority.
Intellectualization, justification is a way of experiencing a conflict, a long discussion, a “rational” explanation of what happened (in reality, a false explanation).
Isolation of affect - manifested by the suppression of feelings associated with a certain negative thought.
Regression - return to an early age (helplessness, alcohol, smoking and other reactions).
Devaluation is the minimization of something important and the negation of it.
Primitive idealization is manifested as an exaggeration of the prestige and strength of another person.
Repression is manifested by the suppression of desires.
Escapism is the avoidance of the ultimate goal of a situation. You can physically or indirectly protect yourself from certain topics of communication.
Autism manifests itself as a deep withdrawal.
Fanaticism is a psychological defense in which the imaginary merges with the desired and the real.
Psychological protection without correction of behavior and the help of a psychologist
If a person does not cope with the problem on his own, but does not turn to the help of a specialist, psychological protection can lead to the fact that his circle of communication narrows. He is forced to limit his lifestyle or make it very specific. Later, maladaptation is gradually increasing. Sometimes psychosomatic diseases occur , internal tension and anxiety increase. A protective lifestyle becomes a familiar form of life, which can lead to further mental disorders of varying degrees.