Freud's defence mechanisms

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How does Freud's concept of defence mechanisms help to explain the development of personality.

-- Chris Whitehouse (keep_that_faith@yahoo.co.uk), May 03, 2002

Answers

You'll have to focus the question much more. Sigmund Freud described a few defense mechanisms; Anna Freud described quite a few more; clinical psychologists and psychiatrists since then have described dozens more. The Freuds emphasized pathological defenses. Heinz Hartman focused on ego defenses that are part of normal personality development. I suggest that you look up "Defense mechanisms", "Ego defenses" and "Defenses" in an encyclopedia of psychology or handbook of personality theory. Even then I think you'll find that your question is difficult to answer. I don't think you can say that defenses explain the development of personalty; Rather, you must explain how, in the process of development, various defenses emerge. So you'll find much discussion in the literature about how trauma leads to dissociation, for example. On the other hand, most psychologists would say that represssion is a normal part of socialization.

-- Hendrika Vande Kemp (hendrika@earthlink.net), May 03, 2002.

This question has been asked a number of times previously on this Forum. See, e.g., http://hv.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=008WpW

-- Christopher Green (cgreen@chass.utoronto.ca), May 03, 2002.

Hi, Chris.....defense mechanisms that were originally adopted to shield the personality from undesired emotions and conflicts, tend to "weaken" that same personality in subsequent years.

This weakness manifests as an inability to connect to one's "authentic" reactions, since these, after being repeatedly ignored, are no longer available for internal consultation.

This loss tends to produce a personality that creates unrealistic assessments which it must defend against all evidence.

-- visualize me (visualizeme@webtv.net), May 06, 2002.


i need complete about defense mechanism and the autrhor's biography, mr sigmund freud

-- IrEne Aman (reen_real@yahoo.com), July 26, 2004.

Freud's concept of defence mechanism has helped us only to accept that there are possible hidden feelings and thoughts behind what we are. we are also aware that we have three faces,,a] what we think what we are,,,b]what others think what we are..c] what we are really apart from this what i feel is defence mechanism is a necessary evils of the society. If we start telling or exposing what we are all the time the society may set us aside or we will gain real enemies.

personally i feel that every individual should have a confidential forum or confidential person with whom one can interact and cleanse his hidden powerful feelings so that they can be channalised or sublimated. thank you!

-- S.Ramani (sramani@vsnl.net.in), February 23, 2005.



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