Defense Mechanism

[jy76]

On the movie Good Will Hunting, Robin Williams claims the troubled genius under his supervision uses defense mechanisms.  For instance, one example of this mechanism is action is his constant passive aggression.  Anyhow, do you think defense mechanisms are justified?  Should they be removed?

 

[Alexandoy]

I think defense mechanism is natural and it is not easy to do away with it.  When I feel anxiety coming in and I am in a public place, I have noticed that my defense mechanism is to be grouchy.  My wife tells me that my grouchy stance is a defense mechanism to camouflage my inferiority complex. And I admit she is right.  

 

[Alex]

This is called human nature, as in the body and mind are designed to protect itself from harm. It's instinct and isn't something that needs to be justified. Why this has arisen I feel is that people try to manipulate others by claiming that someone is 'passive aggressive'. This is a term that has only surfaced recently and is coined by people that wish to justify their own actions by blaming others.


As for the film 'Good Will Hunting' that was an element of the character where he used to defense to protect himself from being abandoned and hurt by others. People identify with that, because it's something most of us will feel, but will rarely admit to.

 

[Jasmin Cottontail]

Yes I agree with @Alexandoy and @Alex. Humans are born with this as well as animals. We all have different types of defense mechanism on how we protect ourselves from danger or how we react with something painful or anything that happens to us, and I think that is just normal. I don't know if a person can change that or remove it since we can't essentially just change something that has been a part of us since we were born right away.

 

[joshposh]

If we got rid of defense mechanisms, then we might as well get rid of emotions all together.  Then we are officially robots.  these defense mechanisms is what makes us unique and separate us from species that cannot articulate like we do on a much higher and deeper level.  We are just a shell without emotions.

 

[to7update]

I think we are born with defensive instincts, as for defensive mechanisms I believe we have acquired them most likely during our childhood when we were developing our personality and those defense mechanisms condition who we are. For example, I was extremely shy because I was afraid to expose myself, but there is not real reason to have that fear is there?


@Jasmin Cottontail I think we can change that, but first we need to be aware of what we want to change, that would be the first step.

 

[Jasmin Cottontail]

@Jasmin Cottontail I think we can change that, but first we need to be aware of what we want to change, that would be the first step.

I guess you are right. It's only a matter of what we should change and how are we willing to change that. I think it can be done although I haven't seen anyone who has done this, or not that I have noticed. I don't even know what is my defense mechanism to be honest. I just handle things and react in some situations differently and I'm not aware how would others react if they are in my shoe.

 

[to7update]

Exactly! The hardest things to change in life are habits, is changing who we are. Many times we don't even consider it because we think, that's just the way I am, but if we start analyzing ourselves we can come to the conclusion that if we change some things about us, how we act or how we react, we might end up having a better life with less anxiety and less limitations.

 

[Alex]

I feel one of the issues why people are defensive is that there is a lack of trust and that's why people are defensive. It's understandable, especially when people have been harmed or used.

Trust takes time, and once that is lost people will be defensive again. I have an old school friend who is divorced and has had bad relationships with men, and I doubt she will ever trust anyone again. She doesn't trust anyone, and it's hard because not everyone is out to get her, but that's what she thinks. How can you put a time on getting people to trust again when they have been hurt badly? Some never do, and while people may want to change, some just can't.