Psychology Defense Mechanism Formation

Homosexual Object Choice

Men watching sports and drinking together, women shopping and chatting together, are actually satisfying their needs for the same sex in small doses, so that they do not become homosexual or bisexual. This is the so-called homosexual object choice defense mechanism.

Tempting the Aggressor

Most mistresses start by submitting to a man's authority. Initially, the man is aggressive toward the woman both psychologically and physically. The woman uses seductive behavior to please the aggressor, thus becoming a mistress. This is called "tempting the aggressor." Flattering a superior follows the same principle, as one perceives the superior as a threat.

Pathological Altruism

Socially prominent moral models who sacrifice themselves to help others, even when those others live better lives, exhibit a form of psychological unhealthiness. Academically, this is known as pathological altruism.

Reaction Formation

The more one emphasizes "my life, my decisions" or "my youth, my choices," the more it proves that deep down, they are highly dependent on others. This is reaction formation.

Reaction Formation

If a man does something wrong outside and then treats his wife exceptionally well at home, his true intentions are revealed. Another example of reaction formation related to sexuality: having many inner thoughts about sex but presenting oneself as someone who never discusses it, appearing righteous and strongly condemning others who engage in such behavior.

Forgetting Names

Repeatedly meeting someone but still forgetting their name is because one does not want to be friends with them. This is a defense mechanism involving the inhibition of self-function, specifically weakened or lost memory. The solution to remembering others' names, building broader networks, etc., feels too comfortable and good, making one feel unworthy, so they shut down their ability to remember names. This is not arrogance but rather a lack of confidence.

Identification with the Aggressor

Having been abused oneself, one feels no pain when abusing others. From a psychoanalytic perspective, parents treating their children poorly leads to children treating their parents poorly; children's lack of filial piety is a result of countertransference. That is, parents mistreat children first, and children mistreat parents later.

A child growing up in a domestic violence environment may actively provoke their father to hit them. This is a defense mechanism of identifying with the aggressor while transforming from passive to active.

Morphological Repression

When people encounter terrible, unsolvable realities, they may sleep. By entering the subconscious, they avoid anxiety. This phenomenon is called morphological repression.

Normalization Defense Phenomenon

Even when feeling extremely bad, one always answers "fine" when asked by others, to avoid standing out from the norm and to maintain a sense of normalcy. This is the normalization defense phenomenon.