In the language of Freud, defense mechanisms are the unconscious things we do to deal with difficult emotion or stress. They are kind of like absent-minded coping skills, and we all use them. They’re natural and normal. They help us deal with life struggles. But, just like coping skills, defense mechanisms come in different flavors. […]
Psychoanalysis vs Psychodynamic Psychotherapy
Or something about Freud and his followers… Most people remember Freud from his teachings on childhood “psychosexual stages,” unconscious conflict based on sexual and aggressive urges, and his infamous terms “penis envy” and “Oedipal Complex.” Most of it’s controversial, right? Maybe, but it turns out there’s more to Freud than penis envy and the Oedipal […]
Defense Mechanisms: What would you do?
Picture this scenario: You’re a college student. You’ve been working very hard on a paper for class when Don, another student, steals the paper and presents it to the professor himself. The professor is impressed with Don and gives him an A, then dings you for copying him. You can’t prove that you’re the original […]