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Are Mental Defense Mechanisms Fully Unconscious!

2K views 3 replies 4 participants last post by  doc2607 
#1 ·
I don't understand this, anybody could explain it to me pls?

Defense mechanisms are used by ego automatically and UNCONSIOUSLY to keep conflict out of consciousness. If so, then the subject should not be aware of these mechanisms when they are actually using them. Then why the defense mechanism "suppresion " is defined as "voluntarily" withholding of an idea or feeling from conscious awareness? if it's "voluntarily" then it must not be "unconsiously". Doesn't this conflict with the definition of defense mechanism?? Also, since we've learnt this as we studying, we already know these defense mechanisms, is it less likely that we won't use ego defenses ourselves anymore?
 
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