Defences

Freud suggests that defensive characteristics are all originally associated with infantile personality development. These are in stages: oral, anal and genital that includes the working through of an Oedipus Complex. The Oedipus Complex is a period where the child experiences sexual desires towards a parent and hostility towards the other. Freud suggests that defences enable the infant to cope with various levels of frustration and anxiety. Freud identifies defences as arising from the libido, aggression and death instinct. In other words, the infant is unconsciously driven by survival instincts or impulses of self-preservation. However, some defences could be non-destructive too, to help protect his or her personality from hurtful or harmful physiological or psychological pain.

Hinshelwood R.D. (1989, p.384). records Freud’s 1985 introduction of the concept of projection in psychoanalysis in various formats. However “projection of parts of self”, that is, a dynamic activity of putting unwanted thoughts, feelings or desires onto another, often a therapist, shone new light on intra psychic dynamics, that is, what is deduced as going on in the patient’s own head – here-and-now. Freud’s research on projection also introduced new ideas on inter psychic dynamics, that is, the here-and-now phenomenon between two or more persons, but usually in a clinical setting. An example of inter psychic dynamics could thus be, an expulsion or projection of parts of the self on to the analyst, such projection can also be regarded as ubiquitous to any relationship...

Strachey, J., 1991. Introductory Lectures on Psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud. Volume 1. London: Penguin Books

 

Hinshelwood, R.D., 1991. A Dictionary of Kleinian Thought. London. 2nd Ed. : Free Association Books

 

Extract taken from my Theory Essay 2009, (c) Jennifer Hooper 2009

 

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but please return.