Defense mechanisms – Level immature

What are defense mechanisms?

In psychology, defense mechanisms refer to certain behaviors that occur as a reaction to threats or discomfort from the outside, whether they come from situations or people. Chances are you’ve used a few today already. Maybe a colleague showed up with a new piece of clothing that you thought looks ridiculous, and, unable to prevent your lips from stretching from one ear to the other, you said: “Wow, that looks gorgeous on you!”. Better to smile than laugh at someone (reaction formation)… Or maybe you know a very unpleasant conversation is brewing and you are thinking of ways it can go and what you can say (anticipation). So, defense mechanisms are a way to lessen anxiety in a more or less acceptable way.

There is no single approved classification of possible mechanisms. Here I will use Vaillant’s list of 16 mechanisms divided into four levels (pathological, immature, neurotic, and mature) and focus on immature ones. The others will be discussed in later posts.

What are immature defense mechanisms?

Immature defense mechanisms are used not only by young individuals, as the name would suggest, but by most adults as well. So, everyone uses them here and there; they only become socially undesirable and visible when used excessively. Among them, Vaillant mentions:

• Acting out – literally acting out an unconscious impulse towards someone or a situation by performing a behavior instead of voicing the emotion. Like throwing the phone at the wall after an aggravating conversation or smashing the keyboard when the laptop freezes.
• Passive-aggressive behavior – expressing dissatisfaction with behavior considered as passive, like not talking or agreeing to something but making stingy remarks throughout.
• Projection – attributing own unconscious or unwanted thoughts or feelings to someone else. For example, a person on a diet and getting hungry might be prompted to buy an unwarranted chocolate bar for a friend.
• Fantasy – imagining a behavior or a situation as you would have wanted them to be, instead of focusing on them as they are and attempting to change them. Have you ever daydreamed about quitting your job in style, all filmlike? There you go.
• Hypochondriasis – this is a relatively rarer one; it refers to excessive worry about possibly having an illness, without tangible evidence, all in order to divert thoughts from existing worries. To escape existing conscious concerns about frequent workplace conflict, a person might preoccupy themselves with the idea of having developed a heart condition.  

Are they good or bad?

Even though they are called immature, these defense mechanisms serve a purpose. When used occasionally, they can be a quick vent for immediate distress. However, if used frequently, they can endanger our social relations, especially the first three. The last two in excess can even lead to a severe detachment from reality, where they are hard to get out of.

It’s not a crime or unusual to express some of these here and there, it’s only human after all. But like all things, they should be exploited with measure. It’s good to drop in other, more mature, defense mechanism in our behavior. We’ll talk about these later.