Hello everybody! This week we are talking…Defense Mechanisms!
They seriously are no small thing, and this week our deep dive into the topic only revealed that more. We all use defense mechanisms in our day to day lives, shaping so much of who we are and what we do!!
Defense mechanisms are tied to our egos and we were happy and interested to see how much our deep diving into defense mechanisms was linked to the enneagram! Here is a chart of the nine different defense mechanisms linked to each ennea-type.
Scott shares about first reading, Why We Do What We Do by Edward L. Deci which exposes the motivating factors aka “invisible forces” which shape all we do and they are DEFENSE MECHANISMS!
“our defense mechanisms are invisible methods by which we exclude unacceptable thoughts and feelings from awareness” Edward L. Deci
Macie explains how understanding defense mechanisms is like being given the manual to a tv remote, we can take the time to read about all the cool features and ways to use the remote…or we can press buttons and only barely understand the remotes function. Defense mechanism give us at least one page of the manual in the game of life it seems.
We talk specifically about two specific defense mechanisms: reaction formation and splitting.
Macie, who deep dove reaction formation explains how many of us, when we experience an emotion we consider ‘unacceptable’ instead of acknowledging and allowing the feeling deny it and form the opposite reaction…when we do and say the opposite of what we feel!
Reaction formation is a type of defense mechanism in which a person acts in the exact opposite manner to his own disturbing or socially unacceptable thoughts or emotions. This behavior is often unconscious and appears exaggerated, perhaps in an effort to overcompensate for the embarrassment, guilt or repulsion the person feels regarding his private thoughts. Traci Peterson
Reuven joins us for a Reuven Rumination or as we are now calling them a “Reuvenation”,which should maybe just be called Reuven’s Poetry Corner because this week, per usual, he shared a very beautiful and thought provoking poem, “January” by Arda Collins.
Scott then explains the defense mechanism splitting, when we can’t handle ambiguity so our brain unconsciously ‘splits’ into black and white thinking.
Check out more on splitting here.
We close the evening with friend and listener of the pod Sydney reading a brief piece from The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz.
We hope that you enjoy this episode and find it helpful in developing awareness!
NO SMALL THING 