Whether we are aware of it or not, it protects us against microbes, microorganisms and bacteria that can enter our body and harm us. And it does it in such a way that it always does it while we sleep, when we are awake. Even right now, it may be fighting in its red blood cells and white blood cells inside our body. This is exactly what we have in our minds. There is a mechanism that our mind creates to protect itself against situations that threaten us from the outside world or that we perceive as a threat. Just like the immune system. It is so important and functional that it protects and watches over us. However, if something went wrong in this mechanism, even if it was learned incorrectly, it harms us unknowingly. How does this mechanism work? From the moment we are born, when a threat occurs in the outside world, our mind develops a method to protect itself against this threat. Later, at a different time, in a different place, when a different attack comes, he comes here to try this method, and if it works, he uses it. If it doesn’t work, he develops a new method here. It develops a mechanism against all kinds of negativities that may occur in the form of a new method when another situation occurs. These are defense mechanisms.
There are many defense mechanisms. One of them is partition. Splitting, also known as “black-and-white thinking”, is the perception of the positive and negative aspects of something perceived as all good or all bad rather than as a whole. As it is known, not every experience, behavior or thought is entirely good or bad. But since it will be stressful for people to deal with everything they encounter in detail, they may tend to perceive by grouping instead. People with division cannot see the whole, they glorify the good and despise the bad in order not to confuse the good with the bad. They exaggerate all the good or all the bad aspects of an existing situation. They cannot see that good and evil coexist. This defense is frequently seen in borderline, narcissistic and schizoid self disorders.
Another defense mechanism is rationalization. It is the explanation of one’s feelings or thoughts that are difficult to accept, avoiding the true causes of the situation in order to make it more acceptable. In this defense, the system establishes a logic and prevents the feeling of the situation. For example, a person buys an outfit, 3 shops later sees a cheaper one. When rationalization comes into play, it establishes a rationale and rationalizes itself in order to save itself from bad feelings such as “the goods I bought are better” or “I shouldn’t talk about 3 cents”.
Projection is the behavior of seeing the flaws in oneself in others. In projection, the person may ascribe responsibility or blame for his own shortcomings and defeats to others, as well as arousing guilt in himself, appropriating his impulses, thoughts and wishes in other people. For example, it is such a defense mechanism that a student who fails in his courses and exams blames his failure on the teacher. Or the kicking of a small child falling from the seat is also a result of this type of projection mechanism. Some people, on the other hand, may interpret their feelings of hostility as directed towards them from their environment, or may interpret their feelings of worthlessness about themselves as people underestimating them. Or, they can show their own situation as if it belongs to someone else and thus reflect.
Apart from these defense mechanisms, there are many mechanisms we use in our lives. We use them in our lives, consciously or unconsciously. The important thing is to use these mechanisms correctly and adequately. You can apply to psychotherapy to discover these mechanisms and use them in a correct and healthy way.
