Psychotherapy practice - The role of character defense and strategy
Psychotherapy practice - The role of character defense and strategy
character defense and strategy are a long -running favorite among Psychotherapy students. It is both an accessible and an almost impenetrable topic, fascinating and individualistic, with a typology that provides endless unique defense permutations against life. This conversation, which I conducted with a student (Q), offers a valid introduction to the topic.
f: What do you mean when you say "defend yourself against life"?
r: We react to early experiences in infancy, childhood and adolescence that are unbearable or traumatic or both. They can be overwhelming, humiliating, shameful or contradictory. Don't forget that one of the main tasks of early life is to understand events, people and experiences. We have to understand what is happening in our universe at an early stage, and this form or structure that we impose experience develops into a personal worldview over time and in development stages.
f: But that's good, isn't it?
r: It is necessary. We experience this reasonable worldview as a adherence to us and our universe in a kind of design, a structure in which we can live and work over time. But if we ask the inside, thoughtful individuals, we will be able to see that the worldview that we have accepted has less to do with reality than with a coping mechanism, less of a profound truth and a reactive strategy.
f: But it works?
r: It worked, but then the strategy is very often opposed to us by restricting our existence, our life experience, our feeling of potential, who is and how much we can have, and our ability to fulfill and satisfaction in life restricts us unconsciously in all possible positive efforts. The anger that saved us becomes a devil that is pursuing us, the liberator of us from our unbearable experiences becomes our toughest, abusive prison attendant.
f: Are there different types of defense strategies, a system to underestimate ourselves and how unconsciously we and our lives restrict ourselves?
r: The theory of character typologies began in western psychology with joy and developed significantly through the observations and ideas of psychologists such as Fromm, small, young and in particular rich, whose book character analysis is the early classic and reference point for later developments. Then Lowen and Pierrakos, Ron Kurtz and the Hakomi therapists Stanley Keleman and David Boadella made significant contributions in this area.
f: Can you give a clear overview of the complexity of the topic?
r: There are several systems according to which you look at the typology, but an overall summary would be roughly.
First, we have the schizoid type. This activity or life orientation in one person is a reaction to experience of being undesirable and precedes every childhood experience because it comes from the womb. It is based on the feeling of not being wanted and then not greeted, and beyond that you do not really match others, social groups or life itself. The schizoid feels most comfortable alone and is not really able to literally refer to the word. He or she will tend to withdraw from external difficulties with the events of life and in particular relationships. The schizoid thinks, thinks, analyzes and theoretizes and feels most comfortable in the diluted, higher layers of analyzes and mental processes that are not affected by emotional and interpersonal commitment.
second, the oral type is. This strategy develops from deprivation and occasionally an overwhelming flood of food in the form of food, comfort and commitment to childhood. If the needs of a baby are not sensitively and considerably taken into account, the child grows up and expects appropriate treatment from life. The oral personality expected to be cared for is disappointed or rejected and cannot take care of itself. There is another version of this character defense, in which the opposite or the corresponding imbalance is accepted, ie I don't need you; I can do everything without help.
Thirdly, the psychopathic character has everything to do with power. "Power over" is a reality, a real experience for the psychopath, and he or she uses the type of treatment that was experienced in childhood (around the age of 3). There is never the same, mutual intimacy of a psychopath in a relationship, only an overwhelming will. Dominance and the will to power are all important for the psychopath. Inhumane treated, normally by the mother, manipulation, seduction, emotional shift and the feeling of being something special are all tricks that lead to the primary statement of the psychopath: I will never allow myself to feel vulnerable. Fourth is the masochist. The masochist's self -image formation was stopped and prevented from fulfilling in childhood. The treatment that creates a masochist is to prevent the formation of limits, to refuse the right to an emotional life or to rights at all and not to be able to say no (because it is wrong if a child refuses or argues with his parents, etc.). Adult masochists usually feel guilty, responsible and guilty and provoke the punishment of others in order to free themselves from their hidden, forbidden anger and anger. Finally,The rigid character is the hardworking, often workaholic type, the time for yourself, your relationships and every activity that does not include in the distraction of "doing". You have noticed the statement deep inside: my feelings are not important. Usually the burgeoning sexuality of the rigid character in childhood was denied or ashamed by one or the other parent. Sexually it becomes a challenge for the adult to combine sex with feeling and combine love with emotions. His supposed task that defeats itself is to prove to be lovely. But they can never be successful because everything they do is not worthy; They want to be loved for themselves deep inside.
f: But how exactly does each of these character types use a strategy that "defends them before life"? And why should we choose instead of dealing with life, living fully and amusing us?
r: The individual expression, the mixture and the stratification of the character types are quite unique and of course individual. It is not about treating it like popular astrology and saying: "I'm rigid" how some people identify with their astrological sun sign. To generalize it: However, the defense of the schizoid focuses on the statement of guidelines: I have to remain isolated; I am sure if I don't need. The statement of the oral character would be roughly like this: you do it for me because I can't do it for myself. The mantra of the psychopath is: I have to keep control, remain independent and never go into a close relationship. The masochist is: I can never be free and will pay for intimacy by being submissive. Finally, the leading statement of the rigid is: I can only be free if I don't want to, so I have to keep my heart closed.
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