Sigmund Freud and Defense Mechanism Essays

Robin Wood, the author of "The American Nightmare: Horror in the 70s" does an extraordinary job in explaining American Horror Films and how it is that they provokes fear to the public. A very important topic in his article is the topic of repression. Wood takes the term repression (a type of holding down) a step further and categorizes it into two different types. One type being basic repression and the second one being surplus repression. Basic repression is described by Wood as "universal, necessary, and inescapable." Robin would argue that basic repression is a process in which all humans have or will go through at some point in their life. Basic repression is what allows us to become distinguishable mammals. It's the ability to remain

Although the piece may be assumed to be positive because it was done by an expert, there were errors and problems. It would not be good to assume the depth of efforts put by experts to prepare their clients in an intensive program simply because there is need for stoicism in the face of fear. As much as a get over it attitude may work well as far as coping with anxiety and trauma is concerned, fears and injuries will always be in our mind. We cannot just assume a major trauma that easily unless we talk about it first and get convinced that the third party shares our feelings. The assertion that repressing trauma can help us heal better may not always work because at one point, an individual will recount, this alone will instill fear in that particular individual. It is better to dress an issue than assuming it because to me repression is just assumption which is not based on reality.

He later changed he theory to suggest that intra-psychic conflict and the external trauma causes lots of illnesses. Many aspects of this theory have been applied to the understanding of PTSD. Most people when faced with trauma get over it in a few weeks or months. However, some, especially children, have difficulty coping with traumatic events and integrating these events into their psyche. These experiences will only be repressed and will reemerge to the consciousness when later reminded of the trauma. In Freud’s view not only does the repressed trauma come back later in life, but it will also bring back other unsolved conflicts from

It does not have to stay that way. When faced with repression, an individual has two choices. It is typical for a person to allow those words to become their reality. Angelou began to define her race as worthless. She conformed to the ideas of others, stirring up feelings of hatred. She goes as far to say, “We were an abomination. All of us” (Angelou, 2014, p.186 ). The power of repression is once again evident. While not as popular, there is a second choice. This choice is demonstrated when a person does not allow words of repression to define their worth. This choice

Contemporary psychodynamic authors define defenses as unconscious mental processes that function to defend against extreme anxiety (e.g. Valliant, 1994). Moreover, defenses are observed as being both protectors against unconscious feelings and relational and cognitive behaviours that protect the self (Cooper, 1998). Currently there is no consensus as to the number of defenses that exist however, in ‘The Ego and the mechanisms of Defense’ Ana Freud (1936/1986) discusses ten. However, subsequently there has expansion of recognised defences (Kramer 2013). Although, authors vary on the number of defenses that are present, there is a largely an agreement on the role of defenses. The function of these defense mechanisms is to modify internal psychological conditions such as emotions and thoughts by changing the meaning or implication of perceived threats (Kramer 2013). Defenses are utilised differently in borderline personality and comparable disorders and therefore necessitate accurate identification for therapeutic appropriate intervention (Cooper, 1998).

The psychoanalytic theory by Sigmund Freud has always been argued to be one of the most controversial theories in the school of psychology. Critics have questioned how relevant the perspective of Freud is due to the fact that it holds no scientific basis. Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic theory of personality argues that human behavior is the result of the interactions among three component parts of the mind: the id, ego, and superego. This theory, known as Freud's structural theory of personality, places great emphasis on the role of unconscious psychological

Defense mechanisms are solidly defined by Freud and his daughter, Anna, who published more distinct descriptions of the mechanisms the ego uses as defense in The Ego and the Mechanisms of Defense, published in 1936 (2013). One of the strengths of the use of these mechanisms is that they are also neatly packed away in distinct definitions, all with two commonalities that hold the theory together: defense mechanisms are unconscious behaviors and they are the mind’s tool for falsifying reality in order to not have to face it head-on (2013). One might argue as a weakness of Freud’s work, however, that defense mechanisms need not be negative, though the majority of the time they are applied as such. For instance, the three levels of anxiety

Psychoanalytic criticism originated in the work of Austrian psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, who pioneered the technique of psychoanalysis. Freud developed a language that described, a model that explained, and a theory that encompassed human psychology. His theories are directly and indirectly concerned with the nature of the unconscious mind. Through his multiple case studies, Freud managed to find convincing evidence that most of our actions are motivated by psychological forces over which we have very limited control (Guerin 127). One of Freud’s most important contributions to the study of the psyche is his theory of repression: the unconscious mind is a repository of repressed desires,

Repression: shoving thoughts and urges that are unacceptable or distressing into our unconscious. This is what happens to the unacceptable urges of childhood--the ego represses them. Taboo ideas, like incest, would probably never get into consciousness or, if they got there, they'd be quickly repressed. Sometimes dreams or slips of the tongue or attempts at humor reveal our unconscious motives. For example, if a teacher ridiculed you in class, you might dream he/she had a horrible auto accident. Or, trying hard to say something nice to the teacher a few days later, you comment after class, "each of your lectures seems better than the next." Or, if you were unfortunate enough to be asked to introduce your former teacher at a symposium and said, "I'd like to prevent--huh--I mean present Dr.___," some might guess the truth. All these speculations about repressed feelings are just guesses.

but his theories on dreams seemed to be the most popular, even to this day.Freud thinks that the agent that

Suppressing. Suffocating. Silencing. These are three words to describe a stifling experience. Being stifled is an emotion often felt but rarely explained. It is the overwhelming sense of being forced to hold back that which is necessary, desired, or emotionally nagging, whether it be a comment, idea, or physical situation. Society teaches a proper way to behave and nature teaches laws by which we must abide; being stifled is wanting to push back these boundaries but not having the courage, strength, or enabling circumstances. The most prominent of these issues for me is courage. Anxiety is a stifling experience because, not my surroundings, but my own mind fights against my utmost desires.

The types of things the theorists examine in a Freudian theory are structural model, libido and Thanatos, defense mechanisms and a very controversial theory psycho sexual stages of development. The Freudian theory is about discovering the unconscious part of our mind. And different ways we can do so and what tests prove that we do have a part of our brain which is the unconscious that does work. The structural model is when Freud discovered Id, the ego and the super ego. Libido and Thanatos is when Freud identified two instincts that were either sexual or aggressive. Defense mechanisms are the way people deal with situations that they feel helpless in. There is seven types of defense mechanisms that people use to deal with their emotions. The

Sigmund Freud's revolutionary ideas have set the standard for modern psychoanalysis in which students of psychology can learn from his ideas spread from the field of medicine to daily living. His studies in areas such as unconsciousness, dreams, sexuality, the Oedipus complex, and sexual maladjustments laid the foundation for future studies. In result, better understanding of the small things, which shape our lives.

Psychoanalysis was the name given by Sigmund Freud to a system of interpretation and therapeutic treatment of psychological disorders. (McLeod, 2007) In particular, we present five key concepts on psychoanalytic therapy: structure of personality, psychosexual stages, defense mechanism, anxiety, and the unconscious mind.

According to Freud, there are three kinds of anxiety – reality, moral and neurotic. Reality anxiety is experienced when there is an actual danger coming from the external world. Moral anxiety arises when there is a conflict between one’s behavior and what the superego is demanding one to do. Finally, neurotic anxiety is felt when the ego feels incapable of controlling the id and the urges hiding in it. The tools people use to get rid of anxiety is what psychoanalysts call “Defense Mechanisms” (Schultz and Schultz, 2009). Defense mechanisms are different behavioral patterns, some of them are considered mature (for example humor) and some immature but what is important for this paper is that in psychoanalytic therapy, defense mechanisms are identified and the goal of the therapy is to overcome them and access the unconscious conflicts which are according to the Freudians the root of any mental problem. Moreover, all problems’ origin can be found in childhood - most often in a faulty relationship with one of the primary caregivers (Hough,