The ego has a tough job. It’s caught in the middle of the id and the superego – the components of the psyche responsible for pleasure and morals respectively – as it attempts to mediate between the two and reach an agreeable resolution.
Learn more about how the id, superego and ego co-exist here. 

When the id and the superego are at odds with one another, we are exposed to uncomfortable feelings. Shame, anxiety, guilt, etc.. It’s up to the ego to resolve this inner conflict, and it has a whole toolkit at its disposal to do so. These can range from entirely healthy and mature coping strategies (adaptive), to indicators of personality disorders (psychotic). 

You may have heard of defence mechanisms – ego defences – well here they are: 

Repression

Sometimes it can feel safer to completely block out thoughts or memories than to allow them to exist. The ego might push them deep down in to our unconscious, so it doesn’t have to deal with them. But this can result in a multitude of emotions in the present day. Guilt, insecurity, shame, low-self esteem, etc. 

Regression

Things were easier when we were younger… right? Sometimes as an adult, when life is life-ing, reverting to a simpler time can feel like an appropriate way to cope. Childlike behaviour such as  thumb-sucking or even tantrums can be prompted by the want for things to feel less threatening or difficult. 

Projection

It can be uncomfortable to accept negative thoughts that are our own… so instead, we pin them on to those around us. Any unsavoury impulses, desires and feelings are attributed to others; it’s as if we’re picking unwanted thoughts out of our own brains and labelling someone else with them. Ever called a coworker insecure, when really you’re the one not feeling confident in yourself?

Introjection  

Instead of taking ideas from within and projecting them outwards, introjection is where the ideas and views of others become our own. We might unconsciously adopt behaviours or characteristics we’ve observed, usually from authoritative people in our lives, and internalise them. Whether or not the outcome of this is good or bad will depend on the people of influence around you. An example more on the extreme end would be Stockholm Syndrome, where hostages begin to feel warmly towards their captors, perhaps even adopting their ways or mannerisms. 

Denial

… it’s not a river in Egypt. Sometimes it’s so hard to accept the truth, you may even refuse to believe it. This can happen with the death of a loved one, break ups, and so on. Ever wondered why a friend seems to be ignoring blatant signs; whether it’s a work situation, romantically, or even with a nightmare pet? 

Reaction Formation 

As a child, if we have learnt that certain thoughts, feelings or behaviours are deemed unacceptable we might learn to formulate a more appropriate reaction that would be seemingly better received. If someone is grappling internally with their sexuality, they might push beyond denial or repression and instead voice their disdain for homosexuality as a ‘safer’, ‘more acceptable’ option. Reaction formation is known as believing the opposite.

Displacement

Your boss has just cancelled the annual leave you’d booked for this weekend to celebrate your son’s birthday. You have to accept their decision, nod and smile, and excuse yourself from the office for the rest of the day. At home that night you are snappy and spiteful to your partner / child / pet. This is displacement. Imagine essentially a replacement outlet; you felt like you couldn’t react or respond honestly with your boss for fear of the consequences, so your anger is diverted to a powerless substitute target. Your id is desperate to let rip and give the boss what for, but your superego is working overtime to rein it in. The ego settles by diverting the anger and finding a different – safer – outlet for it. 

Sublimation

Similar to displacement but instead of kicking the cat, anger, frustration, resentment etc are channelled to something more socially acceptable. Sublimation can be more constructive, where displacement is more destructive. Caitlyn Jenner’s determination to win gold at the ’76 Olympics springs to mind… 

Intellectualisation

Anxiety, insecurity, heartbreak and loss have the sting taken out of their tails by neutralising them with logic. Pragmatic explanations are deployed so as to detach from being exposed to painful feelings. Received some bad news? Instead of allowing feelings of sadness, the ego pivots in to practical mode… 

Rationalisation 

In a similar way to intellectualisation, our ego might spring to find a logical reason to salve any feelings of pain. But in this case, those reasons are plausible but untrue. The woman who says she’s happy to be divorcing as it means she can travel more. The teenager who says he’s happy he didn’t get in to his first choice university, the people are nicer elsewhere. Natural disasters or human catastrophes being put down to God’s will… 

Compensation 

The driving force behind over-achieving as an adult in response to being a child who struggled at school. The parent who struggled financially pressuring their child to pursue only certain high-earning career paths. The employee who’s always overlooked for promotions pouring themselves in to their home life and becoming the ‘best parent ever’. These are all compensation strategies where we seek to overcome feelings of inadequacy by excelling elsewhere. 

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I had heard of defence mechanisms, and was comfortable in my understanding of some of them – projection, regression, etc. Tuning in to the wider spectrum of ego defences I’ve even been able to catch some in real time. For example, after a frustrating setback at work this week from higher up the chain of command, patience with the smaller stuff and junior members of the team felt strained (displacement?). I was able to notice this in myself and neutralise it.

There are more defences to discover, and I’d also like to learn more about which are conscious and unconscious, as well as the dynamic of the id, ego, and superego in each… but writing this was a good starting point.

Can you think of a time when you may have used one of these defences in the past? Do you think you’d be able to catch yourself in the future?

This is all part of my very basic introduction to Freudian theory. I’m interested to learn more about this and other schools of thought, so please let me know if you have any recommendations.