Reflection on Defense Mechanisms

Undergoing psychological challenges have made me adopt two defense mechanisms. The
first mechanism I frequently use is denial. When situations such as a loved one not in the family
line but that of friendship and companionship engages in infidelity, the facts are usually very
bitter to swallow. Therefore, I have often channeled the thoughts about such events in ways that
show they have not happened to begin with. The denial mechanism blocks the negative emotions
associated with traumatic events, as simplified by Perrotta (2020). I have refused to accept that
people close enough can turn out to be treacherous and cunning, but I have also come to decline
acceptance of sicknesses. Over the years, the issue of sickness has received a non-welcoming
approach. I am the type of person who would wait until it is serious. I use the denial mechanism
to keep my mind from anxieties, pain, and stress.
My friend and I use the second defense mechanism is the repression of thoughts and
emotions. I have had a long-term friend since junior high school. We have never engaged in
physical fights, but the verbal disagreements have been as plenty as the sea exists. There are
certain times when we have disagreed about the people we date and our decisions, but what helps
us is repressing emotions. We let the emotion die out like candlelight without revisiting the
issues. However, reflecting on some of the most dreaded occasions and topics of our
disagreement elicits different reactions. In this way, we escape unwanted thoughts by
consciously choosing to forget them. The clear threshold of this mechanism does not mean that
we forget or that memories disappear forever. We intentionally decided to forget as humanity
works in mysterious ways.
Additionally, I have noticed my boss use rationalization to support his mistakes.
Rationalization refers to the association of self-approved facts to explain contextual behaviors, as

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Perrotta (2020) explained. In many cases, it uses acquired logic to make interpretations and
accept the choices one makes. My boss introduced an organizational culture that required every
employee to sign in to the office using the biometrics update of the thumbnail fingerprint. The
technology was a mechanism for curbing lateness, leaving before time, and the presence of the
employee in the office. The problem came when the boss simplified using the technology to
express how the company was agile in technology usage. He failed to sign in on many occasions
due to a lack of management of the system but continued heckling the members for not
adequately adjusting to the system. As a result, communication was not coming through to other
departments as required, and the whole application failed in four months. At the end of the year,
in the annual general meeting, the boss struggled to explain to the workers why the technology
failed. Although everyone knew the reasons, his explanations were his ways of escaping blame
and ridicule from the staff. In summary, people, including me, use defense mechanisms when
personal feelings are on the line and fear of perception steps in.

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Reference

Perrotta, G. (2020). Human mechanisms of psychological defense: definition, historical and
psychodynamic contexts, classifications and clinical profiles. Int J Neurorehabilitation
Eng, 7(1), 1000360.