Sometimes anger can have a “hardening” effect, working as a kind of defense to ward off other painful feelings such as fear, exhaustion or emotional thinness.
Galleries
The Fear of Change
Many of us have a fear of change because of it presents us with unfamiliar and unpredictable emotions, and also because change makes us aware of the passage of time, linking up unconsciously with the idea of death.
Defense Mechanisms VI: Repression (and Resistance)
A discussion of the most fundamental of all defense mechanisms — repression — and how you may encounter resistance in your clinical practice when you try to probe it with your clients.
Precocity and Impatience
We often think of precocity as a gift and associate it with genius; but for many people, when things come too easily for them early in their lives, they may feel impatient when truly challenged, unable to bear the frustration and face the hard work needed for success in any meaningful endeavor.
The Oedipus Complex in Divorce Situations
In toxic divorce situations where a vengeful mother tries to turn her son against the boy’s father, it has the lethal effect of confirming his Oedipal fantasies, with lasting damage to the boy’s sense of self and his respect for authority.