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.

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 :

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

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 self-devaluation

15. Removing anxiety and hurt

16. Play an important role in normal adjustment mechanism

COMMON TYPES OF DEFENCE MECHANISM
|EXAMPLE |DESCRIPTION |DEFENSE |
|denying that your physician's diagnosis of cancer is correct and|arguing against an anxiety provoking stimuli by |denial |
|seeking a second opinion |stating it doesn't exist | |
|slamming a door instead of hitting as person, yelling at your |taking out impulses on a less threatening target|displacement |
|spouse after an argument with your boss | | |
|Perhaps Napoleon compensated his shortness by becoming a |The development of a talent as a response to a |Compensation |
|conqueror |personal deficiency. | |
|when losing an argument, you state "You're just Stupid;" |placing unacceptable impulses in yourself onto |projection |
|homophobia |someone else | |
|A student whose semester grades include one D and four F's may |The providing of socially acceptable reasons for|rationalization |
|blame the four F's on studying too much for the course in which |one's inappropriate behavior | |
|he received a D. | | |
|An SO who engages in a much more loving manner than usually |The tendency to act in a manner opposite to one's|reaction formation |
|before breaking up is engaging in reaction formation. S/he feels|true feelings. | |
|that if they treat the other person better, they will feel less | | |
|guilt about rejecting them | | |
|as your poor performance ,sitting in a corner and crying after |Returning to a previous stage of development |regression |
|hearing bad news; throwing a temper tantrum when you don't get | | |
|your way | | |
|forgetting sexual abuse from your childhood due to the trauma |pulling into the unconscious |repression |
|and anxiety | | |
|sublimating your aggressive impulses toward a career as a boxer;|acting out unacceptable impulses in a socially |sublimation |
|becoming a surgeon because of your desire to cut; lifting |acceptable way | |
|weights to release 'pent up' energy | | |
|trying to forget something that causes you anxiety |pushing into the unconscious |suppression |
|A Child who has just make mother's anger then kiss her |The person actually or symbolically erase a |Undoing |
| |previous consciously intolerable action | |
|A student identify with favorite teacher | Increasing feelings of worth by identifying |Identification |
| |self with person | |
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 thoughts and feeling; some |Pas and present; conscious, preconscious and |
| |selected focus on past |unconscious |
|Nature of change |Ego mastery, increased understanding, learning and positive |Insight and conflict |
| |reinforcement, environment fit |resolution |
|Use of relationship |Experience of the real |Understanding of positive and negative |
| |relationship; positive |transference |
| |transference; corrective | |
| |relationship; positive | |
| |transference; corrective | |
| |relationship; worker’s | |
| |relationship with others in client’s environment | |
|Psychological techniques |Directive, sustaining, educative and structured; some reflection|Nondirective, relflective, |
| | |interpretive |
|Work with social |Environmental modification and restructuring; provision and |Not emphasized but may be used |
|environment |mobilization of resources; improving conditions. | |
|Appropriate client |Those encountering life transitions, acute or situational |Those with good ego strength who have maladaptive|
|populations |crises, or stress; those with ego deficits; those with |patterns interfering with optimal functioning; in|
| |maladaptive patterns and low anxiety tolerance and impulse |some cases those with severe maladaptive |
| |control. |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.

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.

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 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