psychological defense mechanisms
understanding psychological defense mechanisms is pivotal if we want to understand how our personality functions, or in other words, how we relate to others and the world. according to the Enneagram, our personality is a reflection of our core defenses, which develop around our core wounds, meaning that defenses and personality are practically synonymous (this changes at the transpersonal levels, which will be explored in later programmes). getting to grips with our defenses is also important because they tend to operate — to some degree at least — outside of consciousness. conscientizing ourselves to their operation is, therefore, essential if we are to grow into the later stages of maturity.
some defense mechanisms, like splitting and projection, are generally considered to be immature, while others, like sublimation and humor, are thought of as being more mature. however, although a defense might typically belong to one group or another, our level of awareness of that defense also plays a key role in how it manifests. so, if i have a tendency to split, and i am aware of that tendency, i can manage it consciously when i notice it in my thinking or speaking, whereas, if i am totally unaware of my tendency to sublimate or use humour as a defense, the consequences can be painful for me and those around me. the immature defenses are usually found in young people or those with serious mental illness, such as the personality disorders. most children will outgrow the immature defenses and find a more conscious way of coping with overwhelm. if this does not happen, the person (adult relying on immature defenses) suffers greatly as a result of their defensive behaviours.
in terms of the Enneagram types, we need to remember that we all have every one of those defenses active (since our personality is made up of all the Enneagram types), but the stronger a particular type is for us, the more active the defense of that type will be. it will therefore be useful to focus on the typical defenses of your tritype. with practice, you will become skilled at recognizing these.
we also need to remember the difference between horizontal (type) differences, which can be summarised as “different but equal”, and vertical (maturity) differences, which could be described as “different” and later stages are more desirable”. this means that, for example, type eight’s defense (denial) is no less healthy than type 3’s defense (identification). the range of unhealthy to healthy functioning in the Enneagram has to do with level of maturity, or awareness of psychological dynamics.
the list below has been adapted from different sets of psychological defenses, and include the most typical.
acting out
description
- explosive emotional outbursts when upset. typically employed when one is unable to process or verbally express internal conflicts or strong feelings
example
- a person has a temper tantrum because their shoe size is not available at a clothing store.
denial (type 8)
description
- refusal to appreciate disconfirming information about oneself or others/events
- refusal to allow painful reality into awareness.
example
- a smoker refuses to acknowledge the dangerous side-effects of smoking
- a CEO refuses to acknowledge or engage with the opposing views of his colleagues.
displacement
description
- redirection of unpleasant feelings onto another or an object.
- satisfying an impulse (eg. aggression) with a substitute object/other.
example
- your boss upsets you, and when you get home you find yourself screaming at your dog.
- “my dad was angry with my mother, and then he yelled at me.”
dissociation
description
- splitting off thought or emotion from experience.
- separating one’s sense of presence from experience, sometimes deeply enough to also not retain memory.
example
- when describing rape, many victims report feeling like they were watching it happen, like an observer.
humor
description
- capacity to not take oneself too seriously, accepting shortcomings and speaking of them in a kind way.
example
- when exposed as hypocritical, a man could laugh at his own lack of awareness, and was happy to be humbled.
identification (type 3)
description
- unconscious modeling of one’s self upon another’s character and behavior.
- can lead to measuring one’s worth based on someone else’s standards or experience. the task is to develop one’s own ability, and stop the comparison.
example
- wanting to be like a famous person, i dress like them and act like them.
- buying a very expensive car, because i see people having those kinds of cars as the type of person i want to be.
intellectualization
description
- use of thoughts and ideas to avoid affective expression.
example
- a person discusses something painful in only an objective or intellectual way.
introjection (type 4)
description
- identifying with another so strongly that their qualities and aspects of personality are absorbed or assimilated unconsciously.
example
- easily recognized in children who take on the ideas, beliefs, and attitudes of their parents.
isolation of affect (type 5)
description
- divorcing an idea/thought from its unpleasant feeling. reality is experienced without allowing affect/emotion.
example
- a father of a murder victim identifies the body without showing any emotion.
narcotization (type 9)
description
- using forms of action (sleeping, eating, gaming, work, etc.) to tune out from feelings and reality.
- in its mature form, the defense would be suppression
example
- instead of doing work that is pressing, focusing on a less demanding action, or watching hours of series and then oversleeping.
passive-aggression
description
- unconscious hostility.
- interior ambivalence between “wanting” and “not-wanting.”
example
- a person says ‘yes’ when their partner asks whether they’re ready to leave, but then does not budge from the couch.
projection (type 6)
description
- attribution of own conflicted thoughts, motives or emotions onto another person or group of people.
example
- you dislike another, but do not want to allow that feeling in yourself (perhaps based on wanting to see yourself as “liking everybody” or being non-judgmental). as a result, you project the feeling onto the other, and accuse them of disliking you.
rationalization (type 7)
description
- justifying a disturbing or unacceptable thought/emotion by finding a self-serving pseudo-logical explanation for it.
- using seemingly logical explanations to make untenable feelings or thoughts more acceptable.
- devising reassuring rational explanations to justify one’s questionable behavior or view.
example
- “i did not pass the exam because it was way above standard this year.”
- “i did steal, but the person i stole from is a terrible person, so it’s not so bad.”
reaction formation (type 1)
description
- behaving the opposite of our actual feelings or thoughts. the behaviours are usually exaggerated.
- transforming unwanted thoughts or emotions into their opposite.
- the action itself is often called “undoing.”
example
- feeling anger but acting friendly.
- feeling tired but working harder.
regression
description
- partial return to earlier levels of adaptation to avoid internal conflict or psychological pain.
example
- a hospitalized child returns to thumb-sucking or needing their safety blanket.
- a 7-year old starts wetting their bed when a sibling is born.
repression (type 2)
description
- unconscious mechanism through which unacceptable or disturbing thoughts and emotions are prevented from becoming conscious.
example
- i feel angry with my friend, but my fear of losing her is equally powerful, and i am only aware of myself thinking positive things about her.
somatization (conversion)
description
- transforming of psychological distress into bodily sensations or illnesses.
example
- developing a terrible headache during a difficult exam
- a person becomes blind after witnessing an affair (these extreme forms are relatively rare in our time).
splitting
description
- experiencing others as all good or all bad (idealization and devaluation).
example
- at times you feel that a person is a wonderful blessing in your life, and at other times, a despicable curse. both are felt intensely.
sublimation
description
- transforming socially unacceptable impulses into socially acceptable behaviours.
- using the energy of the impulse, but altering its form.
example
- many sports people channel their aggression or other emotions into something constructive (competitiveness/ peak performance).
suppression
description
- conscious forgetting.
- typically related to an action that is not wanted, but done out of obligation.
example
- “i’d rather forget the events of that tragic day."
- “i was so busy with ‘this’ task that i lost track of ‘that’ one.”
- supressing difficult feelings until a time when they can be processed in a safe space.