Psychology 101: Defense Mechanisms

What is a defense mechanism? As the term implies, these are strategies (could be thoughts or actions) that are used to "defend" ourselves from the harsh reality. We use defense mechanism to deal with situations that are undesirable or unacceptable for us. Defense mechanisms could be healthy or unhealthy. It is perfectly normal to employ such strategies because sometimes, viewing realities as they are might cause us extreme anxiety. However, some people rely too much on defense mechanisms to a very unhealthy extent. Too much defense mechanism might influence a person's life negatively.


Even if you're not a psychologist, chances are, you've already incorportated some of the defense mechanism concepts into your everyday language. "In denial" is one type of defense mechanism. By denying the truthfulness of an unacceptable event, you are saved from a painful dose of anxiety. "Rationalization" is another type of defense mechanism that attempts to explain a failure committed by oneself by attributing it to external forces. For instance, attributing your exam failure to your teacher's lack of ability instead of your lack of preparation allows you to protect your self-esteem and also lessens your anxiety.

There are a lot of times when I see myself employing such strategies when dealing with my own problems. This is of course inevitable because I want to keep myself sane. I think though that knowing the different types of defense mechanisms are very useful for self-awareness. By being able to identify the strategies that I'm using, I am able to control the amount of defenses I employ. Other people are so vocal about their "feelings" that it becomes very obvious when they are using a defense mechanism. Some friends I know express something with much conviction, when in fact, their words are the exact opposite to how they really feel. Those words they've blurted out are only the products of their defense mechanisms and they do it in order to preserve their positive image.

In my future posts, I will discuss about the different types of defense mechanisms identified by psychologists. For now, do you know any other defense mechanisms?