Daily in our lives, we are faced with certain negative vibes or stimuli, which sometimes can be too threatening to handle in all of it's intensity. Such negative stimuli can corrode a person's mind and make living impossible, sometimes resulting into mental stress or even a nervous breakdown. To tackle this, the mind unconsciously or consciously builds up a mechanism, one which will help to remain in control. This mechanism is called the **DEFENSE MECHANISM**. A defense mechanism is a system designed to guard the user against unwanted forces. It's an up and running system which provides you with a level of security. They are known as face-saving devices, because they are literally used to 'save our face' in the wake of any threatening situation and news, as the reality is too difficult to accept and deal within its entire intensity. When you think of a defense mechanism, an antivirus program should come to your mind. Given this, a mental defense mechanism is a system that guards your mental health against common issues and also provides you with a level of security against problems you are not used to, allowing you to start dealing with the problem even before you pay attention to it consciously. Of course, it must be designed by the user. The strength of your defense mechanism however depends largely on the user that created it and the level of discipline.
[Source](https://media.buzzle.com/media/images-en/photos/health/1200-84726727-sad-boy.jpg)
# Types of Defense Mechanism
We sometimes make use of this mechanism, as children and even as adults, and while they might work for many, they are not the best ways to deal with our life issues. Don't feel bad, if you find yourself using any of these mechanism, almost everyone uses at least one. Defense mechanism can be categorized into two forms; **the primitive methods and the modern methods,** which are also known as *coding methods*.
**PRIMITIVE DEFENSE MECHANISM**
* **Denial:** This is an outright refusal to admit that something has happened or is still happening. Drug addicts or alcoholics often deny that they have a problem, while victims of traumatic events may deny that the event ever occurred.
**Pros:**
* It aids a person avoid dealing with painful feelings.
**Cons:**
* An addict will keep denying his addiction, and tells himself or herself that he/she is doing fine.
* **Regression:** As the name implies, this mechanism is a movement back in time, to activities that one did in younger ages, when faced with stress. A *regressed mind* often shows behaviors which may seem childish, when it's troubled or frightened. A child may begin to suck their thumb again or wet the bed when they need to spend some time in the hospital. Teenagers may giggle uncontrollably when introduced into a social situation involving the opposite sex.
**Pros:**
* If good childhood habits were learnt, it might result in regressing into good attitudes, such as tidiness and cleanliness.
**Cons:**
* A person with a regressed mind might start doing very silly childish acts, such as bedwetting.
* A regressed mind might throw a tantrum, when faced with unpleasant issues.
[Source](https://media.buzzle.com/media/images-en/photos/conceptual/1200-60390170-girl-holding-alphabets.jpg)
* **Projection:** This involves channelling ones own unwanted feelings, thoughts onto another person, who doesn't have those feelings or thoughts. Thus, we project a quality that we don't like about ourselves onto another person who does not have that negative quality at all.
**Pros:**
* The individual feels flawless.
**Cons:**
* One tends to apportion blames to others.
* It result in lack of insights and acknowledgement of one's own actions.
* **Acting out:** This is an inability to be thoughtful about an impulse. The impulse is expressed directly without any reflection or consideration as to whether it is a good idea to do so. For example: a person attacks another person in a fit of anger without stopping to consider that this could seriously wound or disfigure that other person and/or possibly result in legal problems.
**Pros:**
* It acts as a pressure releaser.
* It helps the individual feel calmer.
**Cons:**
* A person acting out shows extreme behavior in order to express thoughts or feelings.
* At extreme, a person acting out might result into self injury.
[Source](https://www.google.com.ng/search?q=pictures+on+acting+out&prmd=ivn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjy8_jb1YrcAhVqBsAKHUBvAWwQ_AUICigB&biw=320&bih=488#imgdii=CrZNbM4VhS4N4M:&imgrc=RGqaQ4AGqzT0GM:)
* **Dissociation:** This is when a person loses track of time and/or person, and instead finds another representation of their self in order to continue in the moment. A person who dissociates often loses track of time or themselves and their usual thought processes and memories. People who have a history of any kind of childhood abuse often suffer from some form of dissociation.
**Pros:**
* It keeps them sane in their own self created world.
**Cons:**
* In extreme cases, it can lead to a person believing they have multiple selves (multiple personality disorder)
* It makes one have a disconnected view of themselves in their world.
**MODERN DEFENSE MECHANISM**
* **Repression:** this is an unconscious blocking of thoughts or feelings, that are not acceptable or pleasant. Since it's done unconsciously, a person often have very little control over them. “Repressed memories” are memories that have been unconsciously blocked from access or view.
**Pros:**
* It might be use to repress memories of death, bloodshed and destruction in one's life.
**Cons:**
* One has very little control over it.
[Source](https://media.buzzle.com/media/images-en/photos/conceptual/human-behavior/1200-62387494-angry-man.jpg)
* **Displacement:** This is redirecting an unacceptable feeling or thought about something or someone towards something or someone else. For example, it may feel unsafe to admit anger towards a parent, but it is perfectly safe to criticize the neighborhood he or she lives in.
**Pros:**
* One's anger finds a route of expression.
**Cons:**
* One displaces anger onto someone who's less threatening.
* The chain of displacement doesn't stop, as a husband might displace his anger onto his wife, who in tunes shouts at the children, who in turn may pass this onto their pets.
* **Compensation**: This is a mechanism which a person develops to make up for a shortcoming in one aspect of his/her life. It's overachieving in one area to compensate for failures in another. Sometimes people recognize a weakness in one area, but try to excel in another.
**Pros:**
* One's area of strength is heightened.
* It helps a person come to terms with the fact that they cannot be strong at all things.
* It helps reinforce a person self-esteem.
**Cons:**
* The area of weakness is not worked upon.
[Source](https://www.google.com.ng/search?biw=320&bih=283&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=7ng_W4y9DIyMgAat24OoAg&q=pictures+of+love+compensation&oq=pictures+of+love+compensation&gs_l=mobile-gws-wiz-img.3...31868.33104..34158...0....1033.2642.2-1j5-1j1j1......0....1.S2qW2TbWvl4#imgrc=iDqkgHBWgfPcHM:)
* **Intellectualization**: This involves using reasoning to block confrontation of situatuons.
It is the concentration on the intellectual components of the situation so as to distance oneself from the anxiety-provoking emotions associated with such situations.
**Pros:**
* One finds comfort in finding out details about the problem.
**Cons:**
* In an area of terminal illness, a person will reaxt by learning everything about the illness, while the problem is not dealt with.
* **Undoing**: This is a conscious effort to correct an unconscious behavior or thought. For instance, after realizing you just insulted your significant other unintentionally, you might spend then next hour praising their beauty, charm and intellect.
**Pros:**
* A person gets to appreciate someone's positive qualities.
* It counteract the damage done by the previous comment.
**Cons:**
* A person with an *undoing mind* rarely apologises for their previous actions.
[Source](https://www.google.com.ng/search?q=pictures+on+defense+mechanisms&prmd=ivn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwid9ICu4orcAhUKO8AKHZpjA4AQ_AUICigB&biw=320&bih=488#imgdii=Z1ZoV3Zx1xmvaM:&imgrc=ME_5jXq6v_8NhM:)
# Benefits of Defense Mechanism
Without the aid of these defense mechanism, a person's mind will simply crumble and disintegrate, which will result into sever mental stress. Just as one would make use of a paracetamol to get better physically, defense mechanisms are used to get better mentally. They work as shock absorbers and help a person deal with pain, which is why, defense mechanisms are considered to serve a good purpose. Other benefits includes;
1. A defense mechanism prepares you for upcoming challenges whether foreseen or not.
2. Having a defense mechanism allows you to effectively deal with multiple problems one after another with a level of concentration that is amazing, even to you.
3. A defense mechanism allows you to be in charge of every situation you are involved in whether you are aware of it or not. With defense mechanisms, you can operate without really paying attention but still make the best decisions.
4. A defense mechanism helps you lead a directional life, subsequently dealing with distractions without taking much of your time and keep you focused on your goal(s).
# Bottom line
Though defense mechanisms have negative reactions, sometimes they are needed for temporary fix to problems. They also ease stress and help protect self esteem. They also allow us focus on other things, as we tend to take on life issues one after the other, even when life happens in all of it's intensity. Defense mechanism might hold you from facing reality and can be a form of self-deception. It's important to note that defense mechanism are temporal fixes, and when overused, they result into more problems for the individual. Defense helps to softened the effects of life unpleasant situations, but they are also capable of taking us away from reality, so we must know that defense mechanism are only temporary fixes, to our problems, till we are emotionally and psychologically ready to deal with them, therefore we must know when to apply the brakes, when it seem we are going away from reality.
>Remember when God thought of greatness, he created you to show for it.
[source](https://www.google.com/search?q=pictures+saying+you+are+great&oq=pictures+saying+you+are+great&aqs=chrome..69i57j33.19752j0j9&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8#imgrc=gYbLSzAejbr2aM:)
I'm @daniel-otaniel, a Nigerian, and We are amazing people.
