Freudian Defense Mechanisms

All people use defense mechanisms, whether they be consciously or unconsciously. Anxiety may arise from an intense situation or even past experience. It is then the ego's job to displace anxiety so as to protect the rest of the mind. Through defense mechanisms such as sublimation, repression, fantasy, compulsive fun-seeking, and negativism, the ego eliminates anxiety caused by surroundings which in effect tries to prevent insanity. Fantasy is a device used to thwart reality. It …

…while sublimation could, in some cases, be only another channel for negative energy. Repressing a memory does not mean it cannot be resurfaced, and compulsive fun-seekers do not accomplish anything productive because they live in a world of pastime. Being negative makes the individual a social outcast and irreproachable with anything positive. Although defense mechanisms transfer anxiety for a period of time, they are not permanant and can cause further anxiety with their constant use.