Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. Psychology
2024. Vol. 14, no. 2, 278–293
doi:10.21638/spbu16.2024.205
ISSN: 2658-3607 / 2658-6010 (online)
Toward the Study of the Relationship between Psychological Defenses and Psychosocial Stress Factors in Modern Foreign Science
Abstract
The phenomenon of psychological defenses is considered from the standpoint of various approaches (cognitive, psychodynamic, behavioral, etc.), to understanding this phenomenon. The novelty in the research of foreign authors of the first quarter of the 21st century is traced. Empirical studies of psychological defenses within the framework of the theory of “stress vaccination”, “minority stress” in connection with “distorted perception”, social control and psychological well-being are presented. The impact of social factors (stress, depression, etc.) on the development of immature psychological defenses in a person, which reduce the level of psychological well-being, the ability to cope with mental conditions and disorders, and the level of self-esteem, is relevant. In cases of gender discrimination, alienation (avoidance) is more often chosen, while stigmatization on some other grounds leads to self-condemnation, self-doubt, and depression. Separate studies are devoted to the negative consequences of the use of immature and neurotic psychological defenses, as a result of which positive results are devalued, and the task is perceived subjectively as more difficult, while the use of mature protective mechanisms increases the mental stability of the individual. A number of modern foreign studies are devoted to understanding psychological defenses as factors of recovery or degradation, for example, the interpretation of the mechanisms underlying depression as protective (“smoke detector”), and sleepwalking and night terrors as a causes of “failure” of more mature and adaptive psychological defenses. The latest research on the trigger of time and place in its relationship with the cognitive processes of a person experiencing a psychotic episode can provide a more favorable outcome on the path of recovery. The purpose of this work was to study the current directions of research on the problem of psychological protection in foreign publications of the late 20th — first quarter of the 21st century. The research methods were the analysis and structured presentation of literary sources of foreign authors on the problem of the phenomenon of psychologicaкопинг-стратегии l defenses in modern foreign science.
General Information
Keywords: new in the study of psychological defenses of personality in foreign psychology, stress vaccination, stress of minorities, mental health, improvement of quality of life, destigmatization, overcoming, coping behavior, coping strategies
Journal rubric: Empirical and Experimental Research
Article type: scientific article
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21638/spbu16.2024.205
Received: 13.10.2023
Accepted:
For citation: Kuznetsova Ju.V., Gutkevich E.V. Toward the Study of the Relationship between Psychological Defenses and Psychosocial Stress Factors in Modern Foreign Science. Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. Psychology, 2024. Vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 278–293. DOI: 10.21638/spbu16.2024.205. (In Russ., аbstr. in Engl.)
References
Aldridge, A. A., Roesch, S. C. (2008). Developing coping typologies of minority adolescents: A latent profile analysis. Journal Adolesc, 31 (4), 499–517. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2007.08.005
Ashokan, A., Sivasubramanian, M., Mitra, R. (2016). Seeding stress resilience through in oculation. Neural Plasticity, 6, 1–6.
Bеkеs, V., Perry, J. Ch., Robertson, B. M. (2018). Psychological masochism: A systematic review of the literature on conflicts, defenses, and motives. Psychotherapy Research, 28 (3), 1–14.
Berney, S., De Roten, Y., Beretta, V., Kramer, U., Despland, J. N. (2014). Identifying psychotic defenses in a clinical interview. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 70, 428–439. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.22087
Boeker, H., Hartwich, P., Northoff, G. (2018). Neuropsychodynamic Psychiatry. Cham, Springer. Available at: https://azpdf.tips/neuropsychodynamic-psychiatry-pdf-free.html (accessed: 07.05.2024).
Boldrini, T., Lo Buglio, G., Giovanardi, G., Lingiardi, V., Salcuni, S. (2020). Defense mechanisms in adolescents at high risk of developing psychosis: An empirical investigation. Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process, and Outcome, 23 (1), 4–15. https://doi.org/10.4081/ripppo.2020.456
Crawford, K. M., Zhu, Y., Davis, K. A., Ernst, S., Jacobsson, K., Nishimi, K., Smith, A. D. A. C., Dunn, E. C. (2021). The mental health effects of pet death during childhood: Is it better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all? European Child, Adolescent Psychiatry, 30, 1547–1558.
Dunn, E. C., Soare, T. W., Raffeld, M. R., Busso, D. S., Crawford, K. M., Davis, K. A., Fisher, V. A., Slopen, N., Smith, A. D. A. C., Tiemeier, H., Susser, E. S. (2018). What life course theoretical models best explain the relationship between exposure to childhood adversity and psychopathology symptoms: Recency, accumulation, or sensitive periods? Psychological Medicine, 48 (15), 1–11.
Escher, S., Romme, M., Buiks, A., Delespaul, Ph., Os, J. (2002). Independent course of childhood auditory hallucinations: A sequential 3-year follow-up study. British Journal of Psychiatry, 43, 10–18.
Forbes, C. E., Schmader, T., Allen, J. J. (2008). The role of devaluing and discounting in performance monitoring: A neurophysiological study of minorities under threat. PubMed, 3 (3), 253–261. https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsn012
Hartman, D., Crisp, A. H., Sedgwick, P., Borrow, S. (2001). Is there a dissociative process in sleepwalking and night terrors? Postgraduate Medical Journal, 77 (906), 244–249. https://doi.org/10.1136/pmj.77.906.244
Helfgott, J. B. (2004). Primitive defenses in the language of the psychopath: Considerations for forensic practice. Journal of Forensic Psychology Practice, 4 (3), 1–29.
Katz-Wise, S. L., Sarda, V., Austin, S. B., Harris, S. K. (2021). Longitudinal effects of gender minority stressors on substance use and related risk and protective factors among gender minority adolescents. PLoS One, 16 (6), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0250500
Ledbetter, A. M., Vik, T. A. (2012). Parental invasive behaviors and emerging adults’ privacy defenses: Instrument development and validation. Journal of Family Communication, 12 (3), 227–247.
Murthy, S., Gould, E. (2020). How early life adversity influences defensive circuitry. Trends in Neurosciences, 43 (4), 200–212. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tins.2020.02.001
Murthy, S., Kane, G. A., Katchur, N. J., Mejia, P. S. L., Obiofuma, G., Buschman, T. J., McEwen, B. S., Gould, E. (2019). Perineuronal nets, inhibitory interneurons, and anxiety-related ventral hippocampal neuronal oscillations are altered by early life adversity. Biological Psychiatry, 85 (12), 1011–1020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2019.02.021
Patten, S. B. (2018). The “Clinician’s illusion” and the epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment of depressive disorders. BMC Psychiatry, 18 (1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-018-1969-3
Peng, Sh., Hawk, S. T., Wang, Yi. (2023). Perception of parental invasion of privacy and information management among Chinese teenagers: Comparison of associations between and within families. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 52, 1287–1300. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-023-01771-0
Prout, T. A., Gerber, L. E., Gottdiener, W. H. (2015). Trauma and substance use: The role of defenses and religious engagement. Mental Health, Religion, Culture, 18 (2), 123–133.
Rabellino, D., Frewen, P. A., McKinnon, M. C., Lanius, R. A. (2020). Peripersonal space and bodily self-consciousness: Implications for psychological trauma-related disorders. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 14, 586–605. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2020.586605
Rinehart, R., Rao, D., Amico, R. K., Ruiz, E., Brandes, P., Correa, C., Pasalar, S., Lama, J. R., Duerr, A., Molina, Ya. (2019). Experienced HIV-Related Stigma and Psychological Distress in Peruvian Sexual and Gender Minorities: A Longitudinal Study to Explore Mediating Roles of Internalized HIV-Related Stigma and Coping Styles. AIDS and Behavior, 23 (3), 661–674. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-018-2348-2
Rodman, A. M., Powers, K. E., Somerville, L. H. (2017). Development of self-protective biases in response to social evaluative feedback. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, 114 (50), 13158–13163. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1712398114
Romeo, A., Benfante, A., Geminiani, G. C., Castelli, L. (2022). Personality, defense mechanisms and psychological distress in women with fibromyalgia. Behavioral Sciences (Basel), 12 (1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs12010010
Salomon, K., Jagusztyn, N. E. (2008). Resting cardiovascular levels and reactivity to interpersonal incivility among Black, Latina/o and White Individuals: The moderating role of ethnic discrimination. Health Psychology, 27 (4), 473–481. https://doi.org/10.1037/0278-6133.27.4.473
Sangha, S., Diehl, M. M., Bergstrom, H. C., Drew, M. R. (2020). Know safety, no fear. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 108, 218–230. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.11.006
Scandurra, C., Bochicchio, V., Amodeo, A. L., Esposito, C., Valerio, P., Maldonato, N. M., Bacchini, D., Vitelli, R. (2018). Internalized transphobia, resilience, and mental health: Applying the psychological mediation framework to Italian transgender individuals. The International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 15 (3), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15030508
Tuulio-Henriksson, A., Poikolainen, K., Aalto-Setaelae, T., Loen-nqvist, J. (1997). Psychological defense styles in late adolescence and late adulthood: A follow-up study. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 36, 245–266.
Vaillant, G. E. (2011). Involuntary coping mechanisms: A psychodynamic perspective. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, 13 (3), 366–370. https://doi.org/10.31887/DCNS.2011.13.2/gvaillant
Walker, G., McCabe, T. (2021). Psychological defense mechanisms during the COVID-19 pandemic: A case series. The European Journal of Psychiatry, 35 (1), 41–45.
Ziadni, M. S., Jasinski, M. J., Labouvie-Vief, G., Lumley, M. A. (2017). Alexithymia, defenses, and ego strength: Cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships with psychological well-being and depression. Journal of Happiness Studies, 18 (6), 1799–1813. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-016-9800-7
Information About the Authors
Metrics
Views
Total: 54
Previous month: 8
Current month: 7
Downloads
Total: 30
Previous month: 4
Current month: 4