The essay analyzes how and why Moll Flanders’s childhood created mental and emotional patterns that would come to shape her personality and affect her behavior. The analysis will use psychoanalytical theories by Sigmund Freud and Jacques Lacan to discern what defense mechanisms and desires Moll developed in childhood and how these presented themselves throughout her life. The essay concludes that she has a fear of abandonment and intimacy and that she uses denial and sublimation to repress anxiety and guilt. Moll’s core desire is to find stability, which is why she continuously strives for financial security due to equating money to comfort and safety. She sublimates her unconscious desire to replace her childhood caretakers and her repressed fears of annihilation by finding new men to take care of her. However, Moll’s unconscious keeps causing her to repeat negative behavioral patterns which trap her in cycles of fortune and misfortune.

Using the Defense Mechanism Manual (Cramer, 1991), Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) stories of 29 sexually abused female subjects and 28 non-abused female clinical control subjects were rated for the frequency of use of denial, projection, and identification.

Companies have always had to adapt to external changes by innovation and reorganisation, in order to stay competitive and survive. For many industries, such as the automotive industry for example the need to quickly adapt to new conditions is expected to increase. In the automotive industry this is due to amongst other factors the globalised value chains and megatrends such as decarbonisation, autonomous vehicles and shared mobility. The megatrends could possibly be disruptive for the industry. Therefore, the ability to successfully implement necessary changes is a key ability. Defense mechanisms are psychological strategies that are unconsciously used to protect a person from anxiety arising from unacceptable thoughts or feelings. While protecting the individual from anxiety, they often result in a resistance to changes and is therefore problematic for organisations in need of implementing change. Emotional contagion is a subconscious process that can make people emotionally converge.  The authors propose that within a business context, emotional contagion enables stable organizational groups to converge with regard to which defense mechanisms that are employed. Within a case study of the automotive supplier Swedish Electro Magnets a quantitative analysis of defense styles was conducted based on the Defense Style Questionnaire on groups in the organisation. Three defense style categories were analysed Mature, Neurotic and Immature defense styles.  For Mature defense styles significant findings confirmed that stable groups do converge with regard to what mechanisms are employed. Neurotic defense styles were not found significant, however these results are rather uncertain with a power of 15 %. Immature defense styles could not be analysed because of inhomogeneity of variance between the groups on this variable.  The study shows that the two theories of Emotional contagion and Defence mechanism are interacting within the organisation of Swedish Electro Magnets with regard to Mature defense styles. The study also finds a large effect size, that suggests that the differences in the defense styles are visible to the naked eye of a careful observer. The large effect size makes the findings a promising field for further research to ultimately reduce the resistance to change in organisations. / Företag har alltid behövt anpassa sig till yttre omständigheter genom innovation och omorganisering för att bevara sin konkurrenskraft och överleva. För många branscher som exempelvis fordonsindustrin, förväntas behovet av att snabbt kunna anpassa sig till nya omständigheter öka. Bland annat på grund av globaliserade värdekedjor och megatrender såsom koldioxidneutralitet, självkörande fordon och delad mobilitet. Potentiellt kan megatrender verka disruptivt för industrin. Därför är förmågan att framgångsrikt implementera förändring en nyckelfaktor Defense mechanisms är undermedvetna psykologiska strategier använda för att skydda en person från ångest som uppkommer från oacceptabla tankar eller känslor. Medan individen skyddas från ångest, leder ofta också Defense mechanisms till motstånd till förändring och är därför problematiskt för företag som är i behov av att implementera förändring. Emotional contagion är en undermedveten process som kan få personer att känslomässigt konvergera.  Författarna föreslår att i företagssammanhang kan Emotional contagion få stabila grupper att konvergera med avseende på vilka Defense mechanisms som används av medlemmarna i gruppen. I en fallstudie på fordonsindustri underleverantören Swedish Electro Magnets har en kvantitativ studie genomförts baserat på självskattningsformuläret defense style Questionnaire på grupper i organisationen. Tre defense style kategorier undersöktes Mature, Neurotic och Immature.  För Mature defense styles fanns signifikanta resultat vilka konfirmerade att stabila grupper konvergerar för vilka Defense mechanisms som används. Neurotic defense styles gav inte signifikanta resultat. Dessa resultat är dock osäkra då analysens styrka endast var 15 %. Immature defense styles kunde inte analyseras på grund av inhomogenitet i variansen mellan grupperna för denna variabel.  Studien visar att de två teorierna Emotional contagion och Defense mechanisms interagerar i organisationen Swedish Electro Magnets med avseende på Mature defense styles. Studien fastslår också att det föreligger en stor effektstorlek, vilket tyder på att skillnader i defense styles är synlig för blotta ögat för en uppmärksam observatör. Den stora effektstorleken medför att fynden utgör ett lovande fält för fortsatt forskning vilket slutligen kan leda till att motstånd till förändring i organisationer kan reduceras.

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This study examined longitudinal changes in coping and defense mechanisms in an age- and gender-stratified sample of 392 European-American adults. Nonlinear age-related changes were found for the coping mechanisms of sublimation and suppression and the defense mechanisms of intellectualization, doubt, displacement, and regression. The change trajectories for sublimation and suppression showed that their use increased from adolescence to late middle age and early old age, and remained mostly stable into late old age. The change trajectory for intellectualization showed that the use of this defense mechanism increased from adolescence to middle age, remained stable until late midlife, and started to decline thereafter. The defense mechanisms of doubt, displacement, and regression showed decreases from adolescence until early old age, with increases occurring again after the age of 65. Linear age-related decreases were found for the coping mechanism of ego regression and the defense mechanisms of isolation and rationalization. Gender and socioeconomic status were associated with the mean levels of several coping and defense mechanisms, but did not moderate age-related changes. Increases in ego level were associated with increased use of the defense mechanism intellectualization and decreased use of the defense mechanisms of doubt and displacement. Overall, these findings in a European-American sample suggest that most individuals showed development in the direction of more adaptive and less maladaptive coping and defense strategies from adolescence until late middle age or early old age. However, in late old age this development was reversed, presenting potential challenges to the adaptive capacity of older adults.

No / Contrary to its original conceptualization, research has found that emotional demands do not lead to burnout in nurses. According to psychoanalytic theory, unconscious defense mechanisms may protect nurses from conscious awareness of work-related anxiety. This prevents self-report and may explain research findings. The maturity of defense style influences how anxiety is managed. Immature defenses prevent the conscious processing necessary for resolution of anxiety. Therefore, it is hypothesized that the use of immature defenses will lead to emotional exhaustion. This cross-sectional study used questionnaires to explore the defense mechanisms of 87 Intensive Therapy Unit nurses. Although the sample endorsed a predominantly mature defense style, the use of immature defenses predicted emotional exhaustion. Also, lower levels of reported stress associated with emotional demands predicted emotional exhaustion. Although this strongly implies the mediating role of immature defense mechanisms, the results were not statistically significant.

This research explored the systems psycho-dynamics or group dynamics manifesting in meetings of a self-managed group within a bank. It also investigated the influence of these dynamics on the group's intra- and intergroup relationships.. The literature review explored the dynamics manifesting in groups in general, and reviewed relevant research that has been conducted. A qualitative study explored how these dynamics are manifesting in this group and how they are influencing the intra- and intergroup relationships. The results indicate that there are complex system psycho-dynamics manifesting in this self-managed group. They are influencing its intra- and intergroup relationships and rendering the group less effective in terms of its achieving its primary task. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / MA (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

Title of Diploma Thesis: Bioenergetic Analysis and its Application in Physiotherapy. Purpose: To evaluate bioenergetic analysis from the point of view of the physiotherapist and suggest the application of the whole method or some of its components in physiotherapy. Methods: Thesis is conceived as a theoretical work, was based on the literature retrieval of the accessible relevant literary sources. Literature, pressed and electronic monographs, textbooks, professional journals was derived from the professional medical databases, bibliographical databases, library catalogues, were used also sources from the specialization of psychosomatic medicine, psychology, kinesiology. The obtained knowledge was analyzed from the point of wiev of the physiotherapist with the goal to suggest the application of the method or some of its components in physiotherapy. Results: The possibility of the application of the bioenergetic analysis and the therapy as a complex in physiotherapy turn out to be inconvenient. The possibility of the application of the components of the bioenergetic analysis and the therapy seems to be suitable. Key Words: Bioenergetic Analysis, Defense Mechanisms, Character Structure, Posture, Postural and Gestural Expression

Although the importance of Attachment in the normal development of a child has repeatedly been shown (Bowlby, 1961; 1979) there is a limited amount of research into its relationships with the usage of defense mechanisms and emotions. This research, therefore, investigated the relationships between attachment type, defense mechanisms and emotions during middle childhood (8-12 years) in 64 children from 4 children’s homes and 1 hospital in the Gauteng area. The children completed the Deferential Emotions Scale IV (DES-IV), the Attachment Story Completion Test (ASCT) and the Attachment Security Scale (ASS). The legal guardians of the children completed the Comprehensive Assessment of Defense Scale (CADS). Significant correlations were found to exist between the usage defense mechanisms and emotions. The results obtained from the analyses therefore suggest a complex interplay of relationships between attachment, defense mechanisms and emotion during middle childhood for the children in these institutions. For example, the research found that certain defense mechanisms and emotions were found to be correlated in a complex and interrelated system of interactions. Similarly, although no significant associations were found between attachment, defense mechanisms and emotions were found, the frequency distributions provided detailed information suggesting that attachment does influence the defenses used and emotion during middle childhood. These finding suggest that further research needs to be conducted in this area to further this knowledge base and to inform the caregivers and staff at institutions such as those included in the study.