Defenses
We use defenses to avoid dealing with our feelings and problems. It is important to learn which defenses you use in order to avoid them. This will help in maintaining your emotional wellness.
- Acting out: Giving in to impulses to avoid stress by using certain behavior.
- Blaming: Saying someone or something is responsible for your behavior or the way you feel.
- Complying: Agreeing with someone or something when you don't really agree.
- Controlling: Excessive attempt to manage things to decrease the stress that those things cause.
- Denial: Refusing to believe what is true.
- Distortion: Changing things to suit your needs.
- Grandiosity: Acting like you know everything and are always right.
- Humor: Making something funny in order no not deal with it.
- Intellectualizing: Control of feelings by thinking about them instead of experiencing them.
- Isolation: Withdrawing to avoid problems.
- Justifying: Having to tell why you did what you did.
- Maximizing: Blowing things out of proportion.
- Minimizing: Making things sound like they are not to bad.
- Projecting: Believing that because you think and feel a certain way, that someone else does too.
- Rationalizing: Having excuses for everything.
- Repression: Forcing something out of your mind.
- Sarcasm: A sharp remark used to help you deal with an action.
- Sexualizing: Using your sexuality to get what you want
Which of these defenses do you struggle with?
Circle the bullet of each that the Lord points out to you.
Ask the Lord to help you recognize when you are using these defenses.
