Question

QUESTION 5
Discuss the motivations of client using psychological defense mechanisms in counseling.

Select 10 mechanisms and discuss about the motivations.

Answer 1

Motivation refers to stimulating the person to do something.Motives start from physiological -basic to the self actualisation level.Psychological defence mechanisms employ by all the people including the patients in the therapy to keep the painful feelings and memories outside the conscious awareness.

Common 10 defence mechanisms include-

1.Repression-It is actively pushing out painful memories ,feelings and impulses .Eg Complete amnesia about the death of the person.The goal of the client could be to reject or forget the memory from unconscious of the death of the person which would help in defending the self against the threats of anxiety.

2.Denial-It is refusal to accept the reality because it is too threatening.Eg.A boy reefuses to accept that he has flunked the examination.The motive of denying of the failure into examination could help in releasing the guilt and anxiety occured due to the failure.

3.Reaction Formation- It reffers to exaggeration the emotional trend to repress opposite emotions.Eg Client may try to be soft spoken to hide the aggressive feelings.The motive of client could be to defend the unacceptable anxiety provoking situation.

4.Projection-Shifting ones unacceptable thoughts,feelings and impulses with oneself onto someone else such that those same thoughts,feelings and beliefs and motivations are percieved as being possessed by the other.Client may ask the therapist that he lost his interest in academics due to the boring teacher .

5.Sublimation-Transformation of negative emotions into positive actions or behaviour.Eg An aggressive client joins the army.The moootive of the client could be relieving of the guilt and anxiety due to the agggressive behaviour.It may help to acquire alternate reactions .

6.Rationalisation-It refers to creating a false acceptable excuse to defend the ego against the unppleasant feelings of feelings of failure.Eg A popular client who was a celebrity doesnt recieve an award but she rationalise by saying that award does not matter,what matter is the love of an audience.In this she paced down her feelings of guilt by not getting the reward by rationalising her thought.

7.Intellectualisation-This involves being factual and excessively cognitive way of expressing and talking about conflicted topics without feeling the associated affects.Eg Client got the fight with his old school friend and he stated that It doesnt matter as I dont have anything to do with him in future.To remove the anxiety of being breaking up with friend he just presented factual information.

8.Regression-It refers to returning to earlier stage modes of psychosexual functioning to avoid conflicts experienced at later developmental stage.Eg A kid of 4 year dont eat anything and only prefer his mother's feed as he is afraid of getting into the upper stage of development.

9.Compartmentalisation-It refers to separating the life into independent sectors.A client may not talk about his personal problems in office to avoid the threats of anxiety into workplace.

10.Compensation-Strengthen one behaviour to hide another.Eg-A client cutting onion to hide her tears behind which would help her in releasing emotions without getting others aware of.

Defense Mechanisms can only help to resolve the conflict for short period of time but in the longer term it may fail.