Give us an example of one instance in which you or someone you know (make up a name to protect the innocent or guilty) used an ego defense mechanism. Be sure to identify the defense mechanism used. Then tell us if you believe ego defense mechanisms are real and a natural way to deal with difficult psychological conditions. Be sure to explain why or why not.
Due by Friday , March 6.
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Lauren Doucette
ReplyDeleteThroughout my life I have used many of these ego defense mechanisms and I will continue to do so as I progress in age. I think that everyone uses these ego defense mechanisms throughout there lifetime. Many people use them on a regular basis, but they just do not realize when they are actually doing them. Two ego defense mechanisms that I can remember doing quite frequently are displacement and rationalization. For example, I use displacement all the time when I get mad at my boyfriend, or I have a bad day at school. Rather than taking out my anger on my boyfriend or the people at school who caused me to have a bad day, I end up taking it out on my family and friends. Also, recently when I was rejected from Stonehill College I used rationalization and said that it was understandable because there was a large applicant pool but they only accepted a small percentage. These are two ego defense mechanisms that I acknowledged myself doing however, I am sure I use many others that I am unaware of. I definitely think that ego defense mechanisms are real and a natural way to deal with difficult psychological conditions. I feel this way because after learning and reading about them they make me recall a time where I either used the mechanisms or I experienced someone using one of them. I think that these mechanisms are the easiest way for us to express our anger and frustration. It just comes naturally to us do these defense mechanisms even if we don’t intentionally mean to.
I believe that ego defense mechanisms are very real, and that people use them frequently, even when they do not realize it. I think that humans use these mechanisms naturally and without even thinking about it. As we learned about the different types in class today, I noticed that I have done many of these things. Since I am a girl, I notice things such as the fact that girl often use the projection defense mechanism. I know a girl named Francesca who doesn't really have the greatest self esteem and doesn't really like the way she looks, so she picks on every small thing about everyone else. I also often use the displacement method, since I am always busy and get stressed easily. I come home and find my mom yelling at me alot for being grumpy and taking out my anxiety on her. These defense mechanisms seem very real to me, because I have often experienced them myself. If you walk through the halls of the school, you will also notice that many students use these methods day to day. It is a part of our everyday life.
ReplyDeleteEgo defense mechanisms are a natural way to deal with difficult situations. At some point in your life you have used one, if not all of them, to overcome problems or relieve stress for a period of time until you can really figure things out. One example would be if someone was molested as a child but repressed the memory because it was such a traumatic event. Later in life, if they went through another similar situation or knew someone who did, they could remember what happened to them. Repressed memories are ones that you'd prefer to forget, but they can have a tendency to come back eventually. Ego defense mechanisms are a part of human nature because they temporarily reduce anxiety and allow us time to think of other things.
ReplyDeleteNathan Doucette
ReplyDeleteI'm sure that throughout my life that I have used each ego defense mechanism at least once. One example is sublimation, whenever my family members are arguing ill just go into another room and do something, or act like i'm paying attention but just start to zone out. This happens quite often because usually one of my brothers are getting yelled at for something. The other one I use is displacement when I don't feel like doing something or school is stressing me out and I vent my anger on my family. As I said before I probably use each ego defense mechanism but displacement and sublimation are just the two that id say I end up doing the most. I would have to agree that the ego defense mechanisms are real and they are natural ways deep in the unconscious of handling situations. I think that we do this because we are selfish and want to do things our way and cant accept other peoples perspective.
Our growing and developing young midnds are very suseptible to psychological warfare. We often find ourselves torm between two sides of each mental argument. Freud would call these parts the Id (which is the unconscious, instinctual motivator) and the Superego (which is aware of society's values and such). These two thought engines bicker all the time which creates anxiety. The only thing to keep the Ego from breaking down in this fight is it's defense mechanisms.
ReplyDeleteDuring Varity Show rehearsal one day, I became a target of displacement when (Teacher X) blew up at me for absolutely no good reason. It was shocking at first but I remembered not to take it personally because I knew that the day was very stressful for him/her and that he just had to get that off his chest. The displacement defense mechanism takes stored up frustration and anxiety about something and releases it on an alternate target to make one feel better. The ego searches for ways to make you feel better because it wants to reduce anxiety.
Your body doesn't like anxiety so it tries to mend it in any way possible. The defense mechanisms are used when neurotic anxiety occurs which is the fight between your Id and Superego. The defense mechanisms make tons of sense to me because I know that I've practiced many of them myself. Your ego will try to convert, revert, divert, and dissapate anxiety in any way possible to make your mind and body feel better. EDMs certainly seem like a real thing to me because they are natural, built-in methods of curing our anxiety. Our minds were granted with these mechanisms because we can't live with anxiety all the time. It's unhealthy and feels awful and the body wants to naturally resolve that.
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ReplyDeleteApril Daugherty
ReplyDeleteEgo defense mechanisms I feel are a very real way that our mind helps us cope with the very stressful situations that occur in our life. They are ways to comfort ourselves when we aren’t feeling ok about something that has happened. If we make ourselves believe that nothing is wrong we can then get rid of the anxiety and really feel like nothing is wrong. I personally have experienced someone that was in extreme denial. Their friends were always telling her that she is heading down the wrong path with drugs and other things but she always said nope I’m just having fun and experimenting I don’t have a problem. Well now she can’t go a weekend without partying and she is still saying she is fine. I agree with Lauren that everybody will at some time or another use a defense mechanism. I know I can point out a couple I have probably used. It is something that is inside everyone and whether they want to admit it or not they still are using them.
Ego defense mechanisms are natural ways that the mind copes with its conflicts. They are the methods that the mind uses to avoid the conflict and relieve the anxiety it causes. Ego defense mechanisms are definitely real. They can be seen in every person at some point. They are used because they make the person feel better. The anxiety is relieved and the conflict no longer has to be thought about. That benefit is what makes them persist in society.
ReplyDeleteI personally have used ego defense mechanisms on many occasions. One specific example is a situation in which I used sublimation. I had some trivial argument with my parents and got pretty angry. I didn’t really want to be around them because of the tension so I went outside. I spent the next three hours doing any menial task I could find that would occupy my mind. I managed to clean and wash my car, mow the lawn, and do all of the other outside tasks I had been putting off. I didn’t realize it at the time but when I did that I was using sublimation as an ego defense mechanism to avoid the conflict with my parents.
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ReplyDeleteEgo defense mechanisms are natural, common, and useful ways to deal with internal conflicts or anxieties. Most people don’t even realize when they are employing one of the defense mechanisms because they are such natural coping methods. Usually when I apply these mechanisms, I know exactly what I am doing. I recognize that it’s not necessarily a good thing to be in denial, for example, but I choose to use the mechanisms anyway. I often rationalize my actions: if I’m doing homework and not making progress because I’m too tired or distracted, I’ll go out and get a coffee, justifying this waste of time by telling myself that the caffeine will help and that I won’t accomplish much if I’m tired. This behavior is inherent for humans because we generally like things to be at peace; we would rather do something else to avoid conflict, or deny that a traumatizing event ever occurred. Ego defense mechanisms allow people to deal with problems in their own way when the time is right.
ReplyDeleteJulie Do
ReplyDeleteWether we want to admit it or not we do use defense mechanism. Defense mechanisms such as denial, displacement, projection, repression, and many more. It is defintily not something to get all worked up on because it is a natural human thing. This how our mind deals with anxiety, it's natural. An example would be, I remember a situation where my friend had confronted me that I liked a kid that I in a million years I would actually never like. I obviously denied it like crazy. But she could see through the truth through my denial, anger, and resistence from admitting it. This has to happen to everyone once or more in their lives somehow, and especially in a common situation like this. It's just the instant thing that our mind can think of doing to protect oursdelves and soothe our anxiety. If this didn't exist then how would we deal with everyday anxiety as humans? Seems impossible huh?
Shirley Pouliot
ReplyDeleteI believe that defense mechanisms are real and that it is the truth and that wether we like to admit it or not we do use them on a daily basis. Most of us dont realize that we are usuing them most of the time but we do. I use rationalization all the time. Like if im really tired and i cant finish my homework i say that maybe if i lay down for a little bit it will help me focus on my homework, even know i know i wont get it done. I also use displacement sometimes too liek when i have a bad day or something i just take it out on my mom or friends. We all use these defenses everyday its just part of are nature. Its just something that are minds do to protect ourselfs. To protect us from everyday anxietys are body has to use these to help us. Without them how would we deal with are anxietys. Everyone uses these, and most of the time people dont even notice that they are doing it. You may get caught by someone when you are in denial when someone else knows its true and you even know its true but you dont want to believe it so your mind just put up this defense. These defense mechanisms are essential to are surving and we use them as we grow up. These are all real and are seen in every person at one time or another. They are like are security blanket when we dont know what to do and all this anxiety overwhelmes us.
Rebecca Remillard
ReplyDeleteI believe that ego defense mechanisms are very real and quite natural. No one wants to be mentally distressed, so we instinctively use ego defense mechanisms to reduce mental conflict. I believe that by using these mechanisms, we unconciously try to make ourselves feel better and can sooth our id. A common defense mechanism is sublimination. Some people feel the need to occupy themselves with something such as cleaning when a conflict arises. By doing so, a person can temporarily keep from thinking about whatever is bothering them. Projection is also used by a number of people to ease conflic between their id and their superego. For example, someone may make fun of someone else for being a geek, when in reality, the taunter is unsure about his own knowledge or learning habits.
Everyone has used an ego defense mechanism at some point in their lives. I myself have probably used the rationalization defense plenty of times. The people who I have used the defense against would be my parents. Everybody lies to their parents and gets away with it many many times. I mainly use rationalization with my parents because if I tell them the truth, they will just get angry at me. So instead to avoid them yelling at me, I just tell them a simple white lie.
ReplyDeleteRichard Votta
ReplyDeleteThroughout my life I have used ego defense mechanisms and probably continue to do so. I know for sure that I use displacement. Usually my moms the one to get me mad as everyone’s mother does. So when she makes me mad I take it out on other people or even the wall, I like to punch things when im mad. But I also take it out on my friends and girlfriend, all because someone made me mad and I just start fights for no reason. I think that 95% of people would admit to doing this, and the other5 that would say no they don’t, they’re lying, but this defense mechanism is common.
I believe that everyone has used ego defense mechanisms at one time or another in their life. For example, I had a friend who would lie about almost everything and when he/she would get caught in the act they would use denial to try and cover themselves up. Another example would be myself, and just like almost everyone else, when I get mad i take my anger out on other people that might not deserve it. I think that everyone would admit doing at least one of these defense mechanisms because they are so common in everyday life.
ReplyDeletei belive that everyone in life uses at least one defense mechanism once in there life abd if they say no their lieing. it a very real thing that helps us cope with the stresses of life and also move on from tragic events. i have experienced a defense mechansim with my 6 yr old cousin he is experiencing reaction formation. he is currently going to school and i always ask him if he has a girlfriend and he always turns bright red and hits me and says girls are grossi hate them. i think this is so funny that young kids actually go through this stage and it fun to wonder if i was acually like that
ReplyDeletejohn tangherlini ^^^^^^^^^^^ thats me above
ReplyDeleteThe passions constantly hijack the mind’s "rational" processes for their own ends. I would even claim that most reasoning is actuated and powered by emotion – where else would we get the motivation and energy to think to much?
ReplyDeleteAdventures in rationalization: I was too lazy to finish my portfolio, and became angry. I began ranting about the Portfolio program, and ended up denouncing the entire American public education system. My complaints were not indignant, vapid curses – they were decent criticisms one might find in a Charles Murray book. The intensity of this thought was ridiculous, though – my mind was absolutely spinning. Rational processes sent into overdrive by emotion.
In reality, the work was simply an inconvenience and did not warrant such grandiose thoughts. So, after finishing my Portfolio, this elaborate chain of reasoning all but disappeared from my memory, a lost artifact of the impulsive id. As soon as the rationalization was no longer needed, it disappeared.
But rationalization is not always evil. Say I become a education crusader – pride and vanity will compel me to form better and better arguments to maintain my reputation. If my emotions line up with empirical reality, then I do good.
I'm taking a Humean view that all deliberation can be reduced to pain and pleasure. Thus, the ego does not mediate between the id and the superego but instead is some utility-maximizing mechanism. This mechanism is not rational; it is stuffed with extraneous springs and gears, the debris of evolution. Its outputs are strange.
People use Ego defense mechanisms all the time. you see it constantly. Personally I know that I have used them. For example, when I was younger i broke my nose and when you look at it from the side it has a weird bump where it broke, and I hate it. It makes me really self conscious and also very conscious of other peoples noses, I know that sounds funny, but when I see someone that is really pretty and has normal nose I tend to say something "I don't know, I don't think they're that pretty, there's something off about their nose or something." even though now I know that its really just me being self conscious about my own nose.
ReplyDeleteEgo defense mechanisms are a part of daily life. One great example incorporating many or the mechanisms is something that happened to a friend of mine recently. Let’s call her Susie. Susie has led a hard life, made bad choices, so on and so forth. Susie decided it would be a good idea to steal money out of her friend’s bank account and not tell her about it. Whenever Susie talked to her best friend, she always suggested going out somewhere (which cost money). Her friend would complain she had no money, she had no idea where it was going. Hit with a sudden pang of guilt, Susie whipped out her projection ego defense mechanism. Susie started yelling saying that her friend can never do anything because she spends her money on stupid things and can never follow through with plans. Meanwhile, Susie kept withdrawing money from the best friend’s bank account. Awesome projection right there. When the best friend finally caught on to why she had a lack of cash flow, Susie whipped out the second defense mechanism! Denial! Oh, how Susie used that one to her advantage. She went from saying I didn’t do it, to the wallet was at her grandmas house to ok I took the money ill pay you back. Took her a while, three solid weeks of denial. But she came through. Afterwards, she decided to follow through with the undoing mechanism. She asked the best friend to forget about everything that happened before today, and that they should start over. As if what she did wasn’t wrong and they could be friends once again. She decided to “undo” this action by paying back not only what she stole. But every cent she borrowed over the years. Ego defense mechanisms are everywhere. We just fail to look for them.
ReplyDeleteEgo defense mechanisms are a real and natural way to deal with things. Half the time, we don’t even realize we are using them. It’s a subconscious way of delaying the truth or things we don’t want to hear/ admit to. It is not as if we are going through a difficult time and say, hey, I think I’m going to do some repression right now. Ego defense mechanisms do exactly as they say- they defend the ego. Defending the ego is very important, because that’s where we can be emotionally hurt. In the end, all of these mechanisms make a great deal of sense to me, and I have seen every one of them put into action.
At first glance, I did not know quite what to write for this blog. Then, I realized that I employ ego defense mechanisms quite frequently. I recently broke off a year and a half relationship, my grandfather passed away, and I got my first speeding ticket. All in the matter of a week. Let me tell you that all of these things mixed with the week of college acceptance letters was very stressful and caused me a great deal of anxiety. I used multiple ego defense mechanisms throughout the week. I used intellectualization and suppression at the wake of my grandfather removing my grief because I am not one to show a lot of emotion in front of others. I thought of how nice the picture boards were, how people were dressed, etc. I used anything to distract myself from what was actually happening, why I was actually in this room. I would say the mechanism I used the most this week was probably displacement. I blew up at a teacher, my parents, my brothers and various friends in situations that would not normally draw such a reaction from me. The worst part was that I could realize what I was doing, but it would happen anyways. I had very little patience for anything because of the anxiety over certain issues and so I took it out on any small issue that came up.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that ego defense mechanisms are sometimes a healthy way to deal with issues, but more often than not, they are a bad idea all around. Yes, you need to release anxiety because it is not healthy to bottle it up (suppression), but not in many of these manners. The best way to deal with anxiety would be to confront the cause head on. This is not always the easiest thing to do however and sometimes is not possible, thus the use of ego defense mechanisms.
Everyone uses ego defense mechanisms. All the time. Or am I just projecting? Either way, you can see or atleast think you see people using ego defense mechanisms everyday. For example, it happens it happens in sports and practices all the time. Someone will be mad at something the coach said to them or be frustrated with the way they are playing and then proceed to yell at an underclassman for missing a pass or doing something wrong.. etc. As the person cant take their anger out on the coach or themselves, they will quickly redirect their anger to a more available target.
ReplyDeleteI feel that everyone uses ego defense mechanisms whether they like it or not. Now that I have learned about how to differentiate between each mechanism, I have realized how often people I know, and myself use them. Almost every day I suppress my anxiety by trying to forget all of the things I need to do, such as these blogs and other school work. With all of the chaos going on in my life, its better for me to suppress my feelings of anxiety so that I don't have a mental break down. There are times where suppression doesn't work, and I have experienced anxiety attacks. Overall these ego defense mechanisms I feel are very good to help deal with your frustrations. They give you a way to calm yourself down without having to make a fool of yourself.
ReplyDelete