Ego Defence Mechanisms
Introduction
Ego psychology embodies a more optimistic and growth oriented
view of human functioning and potential than do the earlier theoretical
formulation. It generated changes in the study and assessment process and
led to an expansion and systemization Of interceptive strategies with
individuals.
It fostered a re-conceptualization of the clinic worker relation ship, of
change mechanisms, and of the interventive process. It helped to refocus the
importance of wok of with the social environment as well as work with the
family and the group. Moreover, it has important implications for the design
of service delivery, large-scale social programs, and social policy.
DEFINITION OF DEFENCE MECHANISM
Ego-defense mechanisms are learned, usually during early childhood
and are considered to be maladaptive when they become the predominant
means of coping with stressors.
What is EGO psychology?
Ego psychology comprises a related set of theoretical concepts about
human behavior that focus on the origins, development, structure, and
functioning of the executive arm of the personality _the ego_ and its
relationship to other aspects of the personality and to the external
environment.
The ego is considered to be a mental structure of the personality
responsible for negotiating between the internal needs of the individual and
the outside world.
The
following
seven
propositions
characterize
ego
psychology’s view of human functioning.
1. Ego psychology views people as born with an innate capacity to
function adaptively.
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2. The ego is the part of the personality that contains the basic functions
essential to the individual’s successful adaptation to the environment.
3. Ego development occurs sequentially as a result of the meeting of
basic needs, identification with others, learning, mastery of
developmental tasks, effective problem-solving, and successful coping
with internal needs and environmental conditions, expectations,
stresses, and crises.
4. While the ego has the capacity for functioning autonomously.
5. The ego not only mediates between the individual and the
environment but also mediates internal conflict among various aspects
of the personality.
6. The social environment shapes the personality and provides the
conditions that foster of obstruct successful coping.
The nature of cultural, racial, and ethnic diversity as well as
differences related to sex, age, and life-style must be understood in the
assessment of ego functioning.
7. Problems in social functioning must be viewed in relation to both
possible deficits in coping capacity and the fit among needs,
capacities, and environmental conditions and resources.
FUNCTIONS OF DEFENCE MECHANISM
1- Reality testing :
The accurate perception of the external environment, of one’s internal
world.
2- Judgment :
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An individual must not only develop the capacity to test reality
accurately but also act upon the outside world.
3- Sense of reality of the world and of the self
It is possible to perceive inner and outer reality accurately but to
experience the world and the self in distorted ways.
4- Regulation and control of drives, affects, and impulses :
The ability to modulate, delay, inhibit, or control the expression of
impulses and affects (fallings) in accord with reality is the hallmark of
adaptive functioning and is essential to living among others.
5- Object (Or Interpersonal) Relations :
Within contemporary ego psychology the concept of object relations
has assumed a more central position than it held previously.
6- Thought Processes :
Mature thinking generally is taken for granted in the most individuals
can perceive and attend to stimuli, concentrate, anticipate, symbolize,
remember, and reason.
7- Adaptive regression in the service of the ego
The concept of regression originated in Freud’s writings as a defense
in which an individual literally goes backward, returning to a previous
phase of development.
8- Defensive Functioning
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Because of the significance of defense in normal and abnormal
development.
9- Stimulus Barrier
All living organisms are responsive to internal and external stimuli as
a result of their sensor motor apparatus.
10- Autonomous Functions
Hartmann originally proposed that certain ego functions such as
attention, concentration, memory, learning, perception.
11- Mastery – Competence
The degree to which one is and feels competent originates early in
childhood as a function of one’s innate abilities.
12- Synthetic – integrative function
Many authors, including Freud, have emphasized the ego’s organizing
role in addition to its more discrete functions.
13. Protecting from dangerous situation.
14. To deal with inner hurt, pain, anger, anxiety, sadness and selfdevaluation
15. Removing anxiety and hurt
16. Play an important role in normal adjustment mechanism
COMMON TYPES OF DEFENCE MECHANISM
DEFENSE
DESCRIPTION
EXAMPLE
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denial
displacement
Compensation
projection
rationalization
reaction formation
regression
repression
sublimation
suppression
arguing against an anxiety
provoking
stimuli
by
stating it doesn't exist
taking out impulses on a
less threatening target
denying that your physician's
diagnosis of cancer is correct and
seeking a second opinion
slamming a door instead of hitting
as person, yelling at your spouse
after an argument with your boss
The development of a Perhaps Napoleon compensated his
talent as a response to a shortness by becoming a conqueror
personal deficiency.
placing
unacceptable when losing an argument, you state
impulses in yourself onto "You're just Stupid;" homophobia
someone else
The providing of socially A student whose semester grades
acceptable reasons for include one D and four F's may
one's
inappropriate blame the four F's on studying too
behavior
much for the course in which he
received a D.
The tendency to act in a An SO who engages in a much more
manner opposite to one's loving manner than usually before
true feelings.
breaking up is engaging in reaction
formation. S/he feels that if they
treat the other person better, they
will feel less guilt about rejecting
them
Returning to a previous as your poor performance ,sitting in
stage of development
a corner and crying after hearing
bad news; throwing a temper
tantrum when you don't get your
way
pulling
into
the forgetting sexual abuse from your
unconscious
childhood due to the trauma and
anxiety
acting out unacceptable sublimating
your
aggressive
impulses in a socially impulses toward a career as a
acceptable way
boxer; becoming a surgeon because
of your desire to cut; lifting weights
to release 'pent up' energy
pushing
into
the trying to forget something that
unconscious
causes you anxiety
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Undoing
Identification
The person actually or
symbolically
erase
a
previous
consciously
intolerable action
Increasing feelings of
worth by identifying self
with person
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A Child who has just make mother's
anger then kiss her
A student identify with favorite
teacher
The Nature of Ego-oriented Intervention
Ego psychological concepts guide many different interceptive models.
While ego-oriented practice is generally associated with casework, it also
informs group and family intervention.
Differences Between Ego-supportive and Ego-modifying Approaches
Criteria
Ego-supportive
Ego-modifying
Focus of intervention
Current behavior and conscious Pas and present; conscious,
thoughts and feeling; some selected preconscious and
focus on past
Nature of change
Ego
unconscious
mastery,
increased Insight and conflict
understanding, learning and positive resolution
reinforcement, environment fit
Use of relationship
Experience of the real
Understanding of positive
relationship; positive
and negative transference
transference; corrective
relationship; positive
transference; corrective
relationship; worker’s
relationship with others in client’s
environment
Psychological techniques
Directive, sustaining, educative and Nondirective, relflective,
structured; some reflection
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interpretive
Work with social
Environmental
modification
environment
restructuring;
provision
and Not emphasized but may be
and used
mobilization of resources; improving
conditions.
Appropriate client
Those encountering life transitions, Those
populations
acute or situational crises, or stress; strength
with
good
who
those with ego deficits; those with maladaptive
maladaptive
anxiety
patterns
tolerance
and
control.
and
low interfering
ego
have
patterns
with
optimal
impulse functioning; in some cases
those
with
maladaptive
severe
patterns,
defenses, and ego deficits.
Duration of intervention
Short-term or long-term
Generally long-term
The Focus of Intervention
Ego-supportive intervention focuses on the client's current behavior
and on his conscious thought processes and feelings, although some selected
exploration of the past may occur. Generally, however, it is more here – and
– now oriented than ego-modifying intervention, which focuses additionally
on the client's childhood past as well as on his preconscious and unconscious
conflicts.
Psychological Techniques
Among the psychological techniques used in ego-supportive
intervention are those that are more sustaining, directive, educative, and
structured, in contrast to those that are more nondirective, reflective,
confronting, and interpretive.
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Six main group of Psychological Techniques
1- Sustaining techniques consisting of sympathetic listening and
receptiveness, conveying an attitude of acceptance of the client's worth and
uniqueness, and providing reassurance and encouragement.
2- Direct influence consisting of suggestion and advice to the client.
3- Exploration, description, and ventilation, consisting of eliciting the
client's subjective and objective feelings.
4- Person- situation reflection, consisting of focusing on the client's current
situation and relationships. The client is helped in
(a) his perceptions or understanding of others or of any other objective
situation external to him;
(b) his understanding of the nature of his behavior and its effects on others;
(c) his understanding of why he behaves in certain ways in specific
situations.
(d) his evaluation of his inner feelings, his self – concept, attitudes, values,
and so on. Person – situation reflection may involve rational discussion or
thinking – through of the pros and cons of taking certain actions.
5- Pattern-dynamic reflection, consisting of helping the client to identify and
consider his pattern of behavior including his defenses and their impact. The
goal is to help the client to develop greater dynamic understanding of the
nature of and reasons for his behavior. This may involve the worker's
pointing out (confronting) maladaptive, contradictory, but often ego syntonic
behavior as well as interpretations of the underlying reasons for it.
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6- Developmental reflections, consisting of helping the client to think about
his past and the way it is affecting his current behavior. As with pattern –
dynamic reflection, the goal is to help the client gain greater insight into the
dynamics of his maladaptive behavior that may stem from irrational feelings
and fears, from past conflictual situation, or from development arrests.
7- Educative techniques, consisting of providing the client with information
essential to his functioning in his various roles or in negotiation external
systems; helping him to gain understanding of the effects of his behavior on
others; and helping him to gain understanding of others' needs and
motivations. Education techniques also involve modeling, role-playing and
rehearsal, anticipatory planning, and the promotion of new behavior within
the client – worker relationship.
8- Structuring techniques, consisting of partializing problems, focusing
intervention on key areas, using time limits flexibly, assigning homework
tasks, and planning activities. Many of these techniques have arisen out of
crisis-oriented, planned short-term or task- centered intervention.
Work with the social environment
Environmental intervention has not been well conceptualized in the
social work literature. It is critical, however, to interventive efforts within an
ego psychological perspective. For example, it may be important to mobilize
resources and opportunities that will enable the individual to use his inner
capacities. It may be necessary to restructure the environment so that it
nurtures or fits better with individual needs and capacities. Environmental
work also may be essential to modifying maladaptive patterns within an
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individual. For example, it may be utilized where the family system id
perpetuating, reinforcing, or aggravating a family member's difficulties.
N.B .
Ego defenses are not necessarily unhealthy as you can see by the
examples above.
In fact,
1-The lack of these defenses or the inability to use them effectively can often
lead to problems in life.
References
1- Ego psychology and social work practice
2- Ego psychology
3- Internet
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