Some of the most popular defense mechanisms practiced by human beings are below. These are feelings that can linger in a person's heart for years causing depression, bitterness, and a life-long resentment to or for someone or something, which could also possibly lead to health problems.

Repression - Unacceptable or unpleasant impulses are pushed back into the unconscious.

Example - As a child, a person is sexually abused by a close and trusted family member or family friend, and each time they see this person or someone resembling them, their demeanor changes toward the people or situation around them.

Harboring this bad experience can also cause a fear of certain types of people who may resemble the abuser in subtle ways leading to social distances of those [types] of people and the fear of launching relationships.

A bad past relationship in an abusive verbal or physical environment may cause women and/or men to cast away a whole "type" of people based on those people's resemblance to their abuser.

Regression - People behave as if they were at an earlier stage of development.

Example - In most cases the act of regression refers to reverting to an earlier stage of development as in "acting childish" however, there are times when regression reverts to emotions that once controlled the person but have been overcome, such as jealousy or fear.

If a deceased loved one is involved in the incident that brings on a regressive state then the person regressing could subconsciously resort back to a happier or even a more bitter time of that relationship, thus reacting accordingly to the present situation or environment The regressed state could last anywhere from a moment to weeks or even months.

Displacement - The expression of an unwanted feeling or thought is redirected from a more threatening, powerful person to a weaker one.

Example - When people are in positions of authority (like some Blacks in power) and have come under fire from an even higher authority (such as a white authority) they then turn and direct that frustration on those under them, usually those whom the authority knows are susceptible to conflict and will not fight back; however, there are times when the authority directs their frustration toward underlings whom have given them problems in the past. (This is called employee harassment and can stand in a court of law).

Rationalization - A distortion of reality in which a person justifies what happens.

Example - Having too high of hopes for someone or thing in the making and when the thing does not come to pass the person claims they did not want it in the first place. They make excuses for not getting whatever it was, which can lead to a displacement of guilt upon their own selves.

Their self-esteem is chipped away a bit more and it becomes a longer time before they set their hopes on anything else of that propensity.

Some people are so affected by the disappointment that they begin to seek activities or desires totally opposite of whatever it is they truly want, and then live for years in envy of those who have what it was they wanted.

Denial - Refusal to accept or acknowledge an anxiety-producing piece of information.

Example - The words of a long-time relationship coming to an end, especially if the information is totally unforeseen to the person on the receiving end. This can send that person into a number of sequential emotions, almost the equivalent to five steps of accepting death, which are denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.

If the person becomes entrapped by one of the first four steps before reaching acceptance, they could be driven fiercely by that emotion until they overcome. For instance, bargaining, the rejected person could continually ponder ways to reconcile the severed relationship despite what their counterpart desires. This leads to stalking, harassment, and sometimes, physical violence.

Projection - Attributing unwanted impulses and feelings to someone else.

Example - This is a huge factor in the Black mind in terms of personal relationships. The Black-mind because Blacks tend to be more competitive toward one another than toward any other racial group. The projection attitude is one of competition because it is a matter between the perpetrator and the victim.

If one friend is angry with another friend amongst a circle of friends, the victim will project a distorted view of the relationship between them and the perpetrator to the other people in the circle.

The victim wants others to see the perpetrator as the one who is angry when in fact it is they who is angry. Many people cannot see the true feelings of the victim and begin to accept their word about the perpetrator.

Sublimation - Diversion of unwanted impulses into socially approved thoughts, feelings, or behaviors.

Example - Someone caught up in an undesirable situation, such as an unwanted pregnancy or peer-pressure to use drugs, resort to what is socially acceptable like abortion or adoption, or begins casually using drugs to fit in. These people are reacting unconsciously to a situation that could have normally been avoided if more personal responsibility was taken.

These impulsive reactions can lead to feelings of guilt and low self-esteem. In addition, can cause people to become someone in whom they really are not only to regret the decisions later in life.

© 2003 by AfroStaff