Defense Mechanisms
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As a newcomer to ACT, I am wondering how defense mechanisms are viewed both in theory and therapy. It appears if one is to cultivate mindfulness and openness to thought, emotions, and memories, natural ego defences will activate. Does one practice mindfulness towards these defenses? If so, I would assume this leads to an increase in anxiety. I guess I am asking, how does ACT view repression?
Defense Mechanisms
I am not sure it is useful to view ACT process through the filter of other conceptualizations. At lest not in the first instance. I think it is best, if possible, to try and see the ACT point of view, then look at it relationship to other approaches. Regarding you query, what popped into my head was to check out the monsters on the bus metaphor. It is in the 1999 book. There is also a great experiential version of that in the book Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Chronic Pain. JoAnne Dahl and Tobias Lundgren also show it being acted out on the epilepsy video that can be downloaded from this site.
Like most things I guess it comes down t Values, Willingness, Acceptance, Defusion, being in the present moment, and self- as context. Probably not a helpful answer; its my two cents worth anyway.
Jim Hegarty
some thoughts
I would look at repression (and all defense mechanisms) in terms of negatively reinforced avoidance behaviours. From an ‘old-school’ Skinnerian perspective repression can be taken along the lines of; behaviour which is punished becomes aversive and by not engaging in it or ‘seeing it’ the individual avoids conditioned aversive stimulation.
From this perspective, I would argue (borrowed heavily from Skinner, 1974 pp155-157)) that we repress our rage or anxieties, our affections for others, because we have a history of punishment for not repressing them. When we have expressed rage or anger or anxiety there have been punishing consequences, when we have expressed our love and affections for someone else, they have rejected and hurt us. Repressed anger may come through as passive-aggressive behaviour because there are differences in the contingencies allowing for this. So from a behavioural analytic perspective, repression and defence mechanisms can be thought of as conditioned behaviours which allow a person to avoid (i.e. defend against) punishment. Behaviourally speaking, they are the effects of the contingencies as opposed to psychic products of the mind.
My take on this from an ACT perspective would be pretty similar to Skinners. People, all of us avoid pain; we avoid the things that elicit the pain and the things that remind us of the things that elicit the pain. One of the things that ACT helps with is targeting this avoidance. Mindfulness, for example has its role to play but is only a part of the process. In terms of avoidance and exposure, to borrow a phrase from Bob Kohlenberg and Functional Analytic Psychotherapy "in vivo is best"
I’m not sure whether breaking down these defenses should lead to an increase in anxiety. The anxiety is there, even when we try to avoid it. In fact it is especially there when we try to avoid it (check the two scales metaphor or the polygraph metaphor in the first ACT book). Paradoxically the more anxiety or anger or whatever other emotion we struggle with is avoided the more it is present. Because if we cant have anxiety then getting anxious is something to get anxious about. If we have a rule never to experience anger, then when we do we have failed ourselves and have something to get angry with ourselves over.
Intuitively our minds tell us that breaking down the avoidance should increase anxiety etc. Paradoxically it seems to work the opposite way. Anxiety etc will not go away forever and its easy to fall into the avoidance trap again (Aha! Acceptance! That’s how I finally get rid of it for good)
That’s my take on it. Basically I think from an ACT perspective I would look at avoidance behaviours that get in the way of valued living and value based goals. From an ACT perspective I wouldn’t be looking at it in terms of unconscious processes
I’m not sure if this somewhat disjointed ramble has offered any help. I hope so.