1. Freud’s Psychological Ego Defence Mechanisms
These are unconscious protective devices which prevent us from being overwhelmed by anxiety. If a traumatic event occurs before we are ready psychologically to deal with it we may use the ego defence mechanism of repression to push the event into our unconscious. The type of ego defence mechanism which is used tends to reflect the source of anxiety we are trying to avoid.

2. Defence mechanisms against anxiety
There are 6 main defence mechanisms:
1. Repression
2. Regression
3. Denial
4. Displacement
5. Sublimation
6. Projection

3. Repression
Repression is a defence mechanism which causes the person to forget an event. A child whose parent was killed in a car crash may grow up with no memory of this event because they have simply pushed this into the unconscious and aren’t aware of it at all.

4. Regression
Regression is a defence mechanism involving the individual going back to ways of behaving that are associated with a safer, more carefree or happier time of life. For a young child it means going back to an earlier stage of development.

5. Denial
Denial involves being apparently unaware of the event or emotion. The person is not pretending to others (lying) but is genuinely unaware of the event or feeling they are denying. It is too painful to acknowledge so they push all knowledge into their unconscious mind. Denial is quite commonly associated with traumatic loss.

6. Displacement
Displacement is when someone redirects repressed desires and impulses onto a relatively safe target. For example, someone comes home from work having wanted to strangle his boss, enters the house and yells at his young son for having left toys on the floor.

7. Sublimation
Sublimation involves the process of transforming aggressive and sexual desires into some socially acceptable expression. For example, a young boy brought up to believe that any expression of anger or hostility is unhealthy will avoid expressing hate and jealousy of his younger sister. He may channel this anger into the socially acceptable release of playing sport.

8. Projection
Projection means putting feeling you don’t want to own yourself into other people. You blame other people for what you should really blame yourself for.

9. TO DO Watch the Video on Psychological Defence Mechanisms (20 mins).
Read the worksheet on identifying defence mechanisms and decide which mechanism is being used in each of the scenarios.