Defense Mechanism

Freud came up with the idea of defense mechanisms. This is how a person handles situations. There are seven possible mechanisms that are talked about in the book such as denial, repression, reaction formation, rationalization, intellectualization, sublimation, and displacement. In day to day life, I see many people using these mechanisms. For example, my youngest brother is ten years old. I can tell he likes a girl at school because he will pick on her just so he can get her attention. Anytime I tell him that he likes her, his face turns red and then he says “Nuh uh she’s a smarty pants.” Many people would say that the way my brother is acting is how any elementary school boy would act when he has a crush. Although they are right, Freud would say that my brother is displaying the defense mechanism reaction formation. It doesn’t matter what age someone is, Freud’s defense mechanisms are used by every person nearly every day.