HUMAN BEHAVIOUR

1. HUMAN BEHAVIOUR Defense Mechanisms

2. Defense Mechanisms • Good way to illustrate that there is a fuzzy line between psychologically healthy and unhealthy states • Ways of dealing with unpleasant and stressful situations by deceiving oneself (if they are used too often it is unhealthy).

3. Types of Defense Mechanisms • Fantasy • Repression • Rationalization • Regression • Denial • Sublimation • Undoing

4. FANTASY • channeling of unacceptable or unattainable desires into imagination; occasional daydreaming is harmless, but if we continually resort to it instead of dealing with reality, we will never solve our problems or achieve our goals.

5. REPRESSION • process of pushing a painful thought or experience into our unconscious mind. Amnesia is sometimes an extreme form of repression.

6. RATIONALISATION • not facing the real reasons for our behaviour and convincing ourselves that there are other reasons. • Sour Grapes - this is a form of rationalization. When we cannot reach a goal, we tell ourselves and perhaps others that it was not a worthwhile goal.

7. REGRESSION • When we cannot deal with problems in a mature way, we may go back to behaviour patterns of an early period of our lives.

8. Denial • refusal to accept reality and to act as if a painful event, thought or feeling did not exist.

9. Sublimation • the channeling of unacceptable impulses into more acceptable outlets. • For instance, a man who is dissatisfied with his sex life but who has not stepped out on his wife becomes very busy repairing his house while his wife is out of town.

10. Undoing • the attempt to take back behavior or thoughts that are unacceptable. • An example of undoing would be excessively praising someone after having insulted them.

11. 3 Steps to Problem Solving: • Understand the problem • Look for solutions • Judge solutions: Which one will help you solve your problem/achieve your goal? From this you make a decision!