Whether there were to you such cases when you became the witness of incident, it shook you and when asked to tell that it happened, you could remember nothing? Or the chief shouted for anything at you, and you came home and broke not relatives. For certain many were in similar situations. And business here not in nerves or your emotsialnost. The main responsible for such behavior – psychological protective mechanisms of the personality. They always guard safety of our mentality, and sometimes can do much harm to us more, than would bring advantage. Therefore everyone is obliged to know what happens to his consciousness at any given moment.
Consciousness and protective mechanisms of the personality
The person is vulnerable by the nature. But if animals are protected from external threats thanks to instincts, then at us the mentality is responsible for this process. According to psychology, protective mechanisms of the personality are ways of adaptation to the environment. Their essence consists in unconscious actions in behavior of the person which are intended to defend from various threats of the outside world and even from own desires, needs and imaginations of the person. Most in detail this feature of mentality was considered by the Austrian psychologist Siegmund Freud. He claimed that in the course of life the personality constantly develops and steadily consists of three parts – It, Ego and SuperEgo. And protective mechanisms of the personality according to Freud help to keep harmony and integrity between these three sides. However what ensures to us safety can become dangerous. Protective mechanisms limit us and demand huge power expenses from our mentality. Once having appeared in a certain situation, they do not disappear, and are fixed and become a constant way of response to similar experiences. Consequences and problems which can arise at the same time can be listed infinitely. Here only some of them:
- distortion of reality;
- deterioration in the relations with the family;
- social disadaptation;
- the denial of any events bringing to neurosis and hysteria.
After such attack on our consciousness, no wonder, that the mentality begins to be exhausted. And that though to learn to interpret a little the behavior in any given situation, it is important to remember what main protective mechanisms of the personality.
Characteristic of protective mechanisms of the personality
The majority of defensive mechanisms of our mentality are developed in the childhood. For example, if in family both parents behave aggressively, often shout and swear at the child, then he forms a huge number of protection which do it less vulnerable. But at advanced age it is possible to get rid of baggage of protection only by means of the psychotherapist. However there are also positive sides of this moment. In a condition of the experience connected with existence of a hindrance in achievement of the goal, that is frustration, protective mechanisms of the personality help with restoration of resistance to the events. Let's consider what mechanisms are developed by our mentality:
- It is used at sudden and traumatic situations. When there is something terrible, the mentality needs time to get used to what occurred. And then this mechanism which is characterized by the fact that the person does not trust in the events turns on. No, I do not trust, it could not occur, etc.
- Also the most frequent example of the protective mechanism. Consists in a zabyvaniye of thoughts or situations which are not pleasant to the person.
- Properties of character of the person which the person sees in others and does not accept in no shape or form actually belong to him. For example, the one who accuses of people around in envy and hypocrisy most likely has the same set of qualities.
- The mechanism by means of which the child without criticism acquires norms and rules which are dictated to it by parents. It is possible to notice introyekta according to the speech. For example, it words has to, always, it is necessary, etc.
- Office of events which to the person are difficult for worrying because of feelings which these events can cause. For example, realizes the person that there was trouble, but tries not to experience any emotions. Actually, the feelings quashed thus do not disappear anywhere and at long accumulation can develop into a depression.
- At the time of a situation of people, dangerous to itself as though turns into the child again, passes to primitive ways of thinking. He does not want to discuss a problem, does not want to concede, becomes stubborn and as though does not understand what it is about.
- Too one of widespread types of protective mechanisms of the personality. Consists in transfer of negative emotions and feelings on other object. For example, if at work there were problems with the administration, and the person has no opportunity to give worthy repulse, it can break on people close to it.
- The most dangerous protective mechanism. The person can logically explain the acts and actions, hiding true motives of behavior. The danger is that explaining the behavior in the most acceptable way, the person deceives himself.
- Switching of socially unacceptable action in approved. For example, not politically correct or erotic thoughts of talented people can be expressed in pictures, music, movies, etc.
Protective mechanisms of the personality conceal in themselves one cunning – they are not noticed by the person as are unconscious processes. The best way out – to ask the third-party person to analyze, whether all as it should be with your behavior. Otherwise you risk not only to be protected from external threats, but also to earn to yourself the intra personal conflict which will become a constant source of collision with people around.