mechanisms by which conflicts between impulses or principles are re -
solved when they do arise.
At each moment we are capable of acting and experiencing in only
a very limited way . We are not at liberty to express our assertiveness orindulge our anxiety continually , even if we would like to. We are limitedby the opportunities the environment presents, the demands that soci -
ety and the persons we interact with place on us, and sometimes the
competing pressures of incompatible traits: Excitement seeking bids usto drive faster; anxiety urges us to slow down. It is obvious that choicesmust be made—consciously , unconsciously , or by habit—and it is clearthat these choices are not, by and large, random. Sane, mature individu -
als are not buffeted by internal and external pressures like leaves in the
wind. With more or less success, they coordinate their behavior androutinely resolve conflicts. The mechanisms for resolving conflict are animportant part of the ego.
For psychoanalysts, conflict is usually resolved through the use of
defense mechanisms (A. Freud, 1936/1946). Wishes or memories thatwould create too much guilt or anxiety because of their conflict with in-ternalized prohibitions are repressed, transformed, or disguised. The in-dividual is not even aware that a conflict exists except when the trans-formations fail or lead to neurotic symptoms. Whether or not oneaccepts the accounts offered by analysts, it is certainly true that individ-uals do learn to control their impulses. Sometimes suppression—delib-erate and conscious inhibition—is involved, but often the offending de-sires never reach consciousness. Children cry when they do not getwhat they want; adults may feel frustrated, but it rarely occurs to themto cry in such cases.
Murray and Kluckhohn (1953) describe a number of more rational
ways to resolve conflicts between tendencies. Using reason, foresight,and self-control, the individual with a strong ego is able to choose be -
tween competing courses of action, resist temptations that would lead
to undesirable consequences, and resolve the conflicting claims of so -
cial pressures, personal preferences, and external necessity . Resolving
conflicts need not mean the application of rigid self-control. There areusually opportunities for compromise or for creative solutions. T woneeds may be fused (i.e., both may be satisfied by the same behavior, aswhen a neurotic extravert talks about his imaginary illnesses); or onemight be used in the service of another, as when a person closed to val -
ues uses her assertiveness to force a conservative position on a group.Ego Psychologies and Projective Methods 145