Chapter 2    Freud: Psychoanalysis39
fei75766_ch02_019-071.indd 39  02/19/20 08:59 AMexperience fear,forexample, ifourmotor vehicle suddenly began sliding outofcon-
trolonanicyhighway.
These three types ofanxiety areseldom clear-cut oreasily separated. They often 
existincombination, aswhen fearofwater, arealdanger, becomes disproportionate 
tothesituation andhence precipitates neurotic anxiety aswellasrealistic anxiety. 
Thissituation indicates thatanunknown danger isconnected withtheexternal one.
Anxiety serves asanego-preserving mechanism because itsignals usthatsome 
danger isathand (Freud, 1933/1964). Forexample, ananxiety dream signals our
censor ofanimpending danger, which allows ustobetter disguise thedream images. 
Anxiety allows theconstantly vigilant egotobealertforsigns ofthreat anddanger. 
Thesignal ofimpending danger stimulates ustomobilize foreither flight ordefense.
Anxiety isalsoself-regulating because itprecipitates repression, which inturn
reduces thepainofanxiety (Freud, 1933/1964). Iftheegohadnorecourse todefen -
sivebehavior, theanxiety would become intolerable. Defensive behaviors, therefore, 
serve auseful function byprotecting theegoagainst thepainofanxiety.
Defense Mechanisms
Freud firstelaborated ontheideaofdefense mechanisms in1926 (Freud, 1926/1959a), 
andhisdaughter Anna further refined andorganized theconcept (A.Freud, 1946). 
Although defense mechanisms arenormal anduniversally used, when carried toan
extreme theyleadtocompulsive, repetitive, andneurotic behavior. Because wemust 
expend psychic energy toestablish andmaintain defense mechanisms, themore 
defensive weare,thelesspsychic energy wehavelefttosatisfy idimpulses. This, of
course, isprecisely theego’s purpose inestablishing defense mechanisms—to avoid 
dealing directly withsexual andaggressive implosives andtodefend itself against the
anxiety thataccompanies them (Freud, 1926/1959a).
Theprincipal defense mechanisms identified byFreud include repression, 
reaction formation, displacement, fixation, regression, projection, introjection, and
sublimation.
Repression
Themost basic defense mechanism, because itisinvolved ineachoftheothers, is
repression. Whenever theegoisthreatened byundesirable idimpulses, itprotects 
itself byrepressing those impulses; thatis,itforces threatening feelings intothe
unconscious (Freud, 1926/1959a). Inmany cases therepression isthenperpetuated 
foralifetime. Forexample, ayoung girlmaypermanently repress herhostility fora
younger sister because herhateful feelings create toomuch anxiety.
Nosociety permits acomplete anduninhibited expression ofsexandaggres -
sion. When children havetheirhostile orsexual behaviors punished orotherwise sup-
pressed, theylearn tobeanxious whenever theyexperience these impulses. Although 
thisanxiety seldom leads toacomplete repression ofaggressive andsexual drives, it
often results intheirpartial repression.
What happens tothese impulses aftertheyhavebecome unconscious? Freud 
(1933/1964) believed thatseveral possibilities exist. First, theimpulses mayremain Final PDF to printer