Defense Mechanisms

Definition of Defense Mechanisms: "Unconscious psychological strategies brought into play by various entities to cope with reality and to maintain self-image"

Damn defense mechanism. All of us has it, each with different degrees and types. It prevents you from doing something you should, which you are afraid to / not willing to / lazy to.

For example, when you like someone, but are too coward to express it / not sure how to / afraid of ridicule and rejection, defense mechanism creeps in. It will make you think that you don't deserve that someone, you will not get along with that someone in a long run, and that someone does not have feelings for you, and that another someone will come along when you are prepared etc etc....

But, the truth is, you don't exactly know the answer for it. All you have to do is TRY. Damn it, the defense mechanism will make you do all the stupid assumptions which will lead you to an assumed conclusion aka hypothesis, and influence you into giving up trying, because it is trying to protect you from the possible rejection/ ridicule/ awkwardness/ failed relationship. Again, all the negative outcomes are merely possibilities, but the defense mechanism is so powerful that it makes you think the odds of failure are higher, hence it will be a futile attempt. In the end, you give up trying. Occasionally, you may have the urge to break out from such cowardice and THINK of trying, but then, sigh, defense mechanism is still playing with your mind, eventually successfully persuaded you into giving up. And this thing will go on and on until the opportunity is gone. And then you regret. Deeply.

Another scenario: You are so eager to take medical history from a patient, however that patient was clerked multiple times over. Then, defense mechanism sets in. It wants to protect you from the POSSIBLE rejection from a patient who MAY or MAY NOT be tired of all the clerking. In order to protect you, it will manipulate your mind like the example above, pushing you into making several assumptions:

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"Aiya read the case note enough already la"

"Aiya I have seen such case before, I think the symptoms are the same la"

"I think the patient is tired now, maybe i should come back again later" 

"The patient looks fierce, the probability of being rejected is high, aiya no need to ask la"

"Aiya fever only, no need practice taking history, I can wait for more interesting cases"

"Aiya pity the patient, clerked so many times already; those people lack empathy la, keep disturbing him. I won't want to tire him"

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And you get so creative that you can come out with so many other assumptions, just to hinder you from even approaching the patient. As a result, you risk faltering during case presentation, because you are full of assumptions and lack practice. 

The worse thing is that, sometimes you are rejected by patients and are let down. That will empower your defense mechanism, generating protection at lower threshold. You chicken out more easily in coming encounters. =.=

I can go on and on, giving more examples, but I ASSUME I have made my point.

F**k you defense mechanism!!

P.S. The above 2 examples are rationalization. There are worse types of defense mechanisms which I won't want to discuss.