According to Freud, it is the ego in individuals that makes use of a range of defense mechanisms when it comes to dealing with real life conflicts or problems. Throughout his works, Freud has noted some of the ego defenses. He is famously quoted saying “Life is not easy!” and as a result, the ego stands in the middle of powerful forces namely reality as is illustrated by the superego and biology which is represented by Id. I concur with Freud’s description of defense mechanism and we will discuss the reasons why his description is most applicable.
Society and biology often make demands which are conflicting on the ego. As such, it is inevitable for feelings of anxiety which are overwhelming to arise which thus serves as a signal to the ego that the survival of the organism in whole is at risk. Therefore, as stated by Freud, the ego will employ necessary defense mechanism to deal with such situations. Here, he describes defense mechanism simply as that which operates at an unconscious level hence helping in warding off feelings which are unpleasant or otherwise make certain things look good or better to an individual.
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Among defense mechanisms that Freud discovered include repression, projection, denial, displacement, regression, and sublimation. All these mechanisms have proven to come in handy when an individual is facing tough situations. Sigmund Freud offers us very practical defenses of the ego that we basically experience in our everyday life. Without the defense mechanisms outlined by Freud, it would be almost impossible for people to protect themselves from having feelings of guilt or anxiety whenever their Id and superego are conflicting or are too demanding. Although we try to banish memories to the unconscious, they keep pressing on powerful influences in our behavior. As such, we need stronger forces which will keep the painful and unpleasant memories and thoughts out of our conscious mind, which is basically the defense mechanism.
In conclusion, the mentioned ego-defense mechanisms are not only normal but also natural. We need them to protect ourselves as Freud already clearly stated “Life is not easy” In order to overcome our anxiety, phobias or hysteria, we need defense mechanisms as described by Freud.
