Being Well with Forrest Hanson and Dr. Rick Hanson

Psychological Defenses: How to Understand (and change) Your Mind and Behavior

Jun 24, 2024

Dive into psychological defenses with Dr. Rick and Forrest, exploring how they shape behavior and relationships. Learn about defense mechanisms like repression and projection, and how to navigate shame and guilt. Discover practical strategies for handling defenses and helping others. Explore the importance of distress tolerance and integrating repressed emotions for personal growth.

01:23:09

AI Summary

Highlights

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Psychological defenses manage challenging emotions by distorting reality.

Therapeutic journey involves shifting from unconscious incompetence to unconscious competence in managing defenses.

Approaching others' defenses with sensitivity and support fosters effective communication and growth.

Deep dives

Understanding Psychological Defenses

Psychological defenses are subconscious strategies that protect individuals from discomfort, primarily related to anxiety and fears about their true nature. These strategies help reduce anxiety related to threats to self-esteem, but are not entirely accurate in interpreting reality. Defenses are largely unconscious and aim to manage challenging emotions by distorting reality or displacing impulses.

Managing Internal Conflicts and Psychological Defenses

01:31

Making Room for Emotions in Ourselves and Others

01:03

Historical Context of Psychoanalysis and Inner Defense Mechanisms

02:33

Understanding Defense Mechanisms

02:17

Intro

2min

Exploring Psychological Defenses and Their Functionality

34min

Understanding and Transforming Psychological Defenses

7min

Exploring Reactions to Feelings of Shame and Guilt

5min

Exploring Therapeutic Approaches and Humor in Understanding Psychological Defenses

4min

Exploring Psychological Defenses and Distress Tolerance for Self-Integration

6min

Exploring the Integration of Disowned Parts and Emotional Awareness

2min

Understanding and Managing Psychological Defenses

24min

Psychological defenses are subconscious strategies we use to protect ourselves from uncomfortable emotions, and they exert a hidden power over our behavior. From denial and repression to projection and rationalization, Dr. Rick and Forrest explore how these defenses shape our actions, influence our relationships, and affect our overall well-being.

They start with the function and structure of most defenses, before giving a few simple examples. Rick then dives into the role of defenses in psychoanalytic theory, their role in managing self-worth and shame, and what we can do to become less defensive over time. They close with practical strategies for working with our defenses, including a brief discussion of what we can do to help other people with their defenses.

You can watch this episode on YouTube.

Key Topics:

0:00: Introduction

2:30: Psychological and historical factors influencing psychological defensiveness

8:00: Some examples of unconscious anxiety bubbling up

12:00: Repression, regression, projection, reaction formation, and sublimation

16:55: An overview of Freud’s developmental model of the personality

24:10: A few examples of how our defenses manifest

33:40: Consciousness, competence, and joining the defense

44:00: Navigating shame and guilt

50:15: Distress tolerance

57:15: Social connection, and finding healthy outlets

1:00:20: When and how to approach others about their defensiveness

1:10:45: Recap

I am now writing on Substack, check out my work there.

Support the Podcast: We're now on Patreon! If you'd like to support the podcast, follow this link.

Sponsors

Transform your health with the ZOE Science & Nutrition podcast. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts.

Zocdoc helps you find expert doctors and medical professionals that specialize in the care you need, and deliver the type of experience you want. Head to zocdoc.com/being and download the Zocdoc app for FREE.

OneSkin focuses on delivering more than superficial results for your skin. Get started today with 15% off using code BEINGWELL at oneskin.co.

Join over a million people using BetterHelp, the world’s largest online counseling platform. Visit betterhelp.com/beingwell for 10% off your first month!

Connect with the show:

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get the Snipd
podcast app

Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.

AI-powered
podcast player

Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features

Discover
highlights

Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode

Save any
moment

Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways

Share
& Export