Question

PolHts availaDie.10 We all feel anxiety, especially when faced wi themselves s have identif faced with a potential threat. Psychodynamic themselves from anxiety. Read the your ed some defense mechanisms that people use to shield think about your own life. e section in your text on defense mechanisms (p. 457) and assignments will be accepted. Begin with : Y our paper should be about 1 1/2 to 2 pages long. No emailed Use complete sentences and separate paragraphs to address the following 1- Describe two situations in which you have used a defense mechanism. For each situation, include the name of the defense mechanism, the general situation, and how the mechanism helped you to cope.(2,2,2.total 6 Marks) 2- Describe one situation in which you think someone you know was using a defense mechanism. know they were using a defense mechanism. (1,2,1.total 4 Marks ).

Answer 1

Defense mechanism is often used by people to protect their anxiety. It is often used by people to protect their feelings from being hurt.

Two situations where I used defense mechanism:

Situation 1:

I was a stout girl in my early days. When I was in fifth grade I used to be so fat and I also eat a lot of food. When my friends used to tease me for the same I generally refuse the fact that I eat a lot. I say that I do not eat much food and the quantity I carry is very small compared to those of the food carried by my friends. My mother packs sufficient quantity of food and I order very less amount of food in the canteen when I go out with my friends. But when I come home I stuff myself with high calories of food. I used the Denial defense mechanism to protect myself from my friends. Since I felt bad when people tease me for being fat I generally deny the fact that I am fat and eat heavy food. Thus in order to hide the pain and anxiety, I used the denial method of refusing to accept the reality or fact. By using the denial mechanism I felt that I am not doing any mistake by being fat and also it reduced my pain of people calling me fat and foodie.

Situation 2:

I am a studios student but I am not as good as my friends or others in games or sports (Outdoor especially). It is compulsory for us to participate in games or sports period. Also we have annual sports day where you play sports and there will be competitions held to determine the winner. The winners will be both individuals and team based. I was a part of a house and I was a member in Basket- ball team. We were competing with the other team and I played real bad that we lose the match because of me. My team members were upset and I was frustrated due to my poor performance. When I came home I was not myself and threw things whatever I got in my hand. I broke a few glasses. I used the displacement defense mechanism. In the displacement mechanism people show their emotions to a substitute object. Since I had the worst day of my life I displaced the anger on non-living objects in my home. It really helped me calm down and reduced my frustration to a greater extent. Only after breaking the glass did I realize that I was cooled down and I was able to loo and speak with people around me (family) and explain them my situation of what happened in the school.

Situation in which the other person used defense mechanism:

A known friend of mine dated a girl and they were in a deep relationship for a few years. As years the girl went abroad to complete her higher studies. But there was a small accident in the girl’s town and she was dead. The boy was not able to control his feelings for her and he was upset for a few days. But after few days I saw him he was perfectly fit. When I asked my other mutual friends they said after a few days the guy started going to gym and now he is a body builder. He has used the Sublimation defense mechanism. Here my friend has converted his anger into socially accepted behaviour of physical fitness. I really think and feel that he has moved on by the way he spoke to me. He was not sad or anxious. He spoke generally and behaved with people the way he used to behave in old days. He has also made good amount of new friends.