In Negation, Freud stated that negation is the way of reaching consciousness of

what is repressed without removing the repressive process. In a very synthetic way,
he puts at stake the origin of intellectual judgement, its relation to the pleasure
principle, the concept of negative judgement as a mark of repression, as well as
decisions related to the recognition of the internal and external world, subjective
and objective categories, and the role of perceptions and reality-testing in this
frame.

Akhtar, Salman (Editor); O'Neil, Mary (Editor). On Freud's 'Negation'.

London, GBR: Karnac Books, 2011. p 9.
http://site.ebrary.com/lib/jewishts/Doc?id=10490856&ppg=9
Copyright 2011. Karnac Books. All rights reserved.

Psychological defense mechanisms are maneuvers employed by the subconscious mind to

protect and serve our various ego states -- These become the dynamics of our
relationship with self. Subconscious conflicts between neural networks are mediated
by psychological defense mechanisms to reduce the anxiety created by these
conflicts:

Since the human brain has complexity there are "multiple minds" known in
Transactional Analysis as Ego States. It follows that each of these Ego States...
or neural networks... have their own preferred set of psychological defense
mechanisms.

In order to look at how these Ego States interact and influence each other we need
to define the following two terms...

Interpersonal - concerning relationships between people

Intrapersonal - concerning relationships between aspects (parts) of self... a

relationship with self requires more than one player!

1. I must develop enough self-awareness to understand how all my parts are

"configured" -- how they get along with each other -- in order to create a good
relationship between my parts. And...

2. However the various parts of myself interact or "get along with" each
other... Intrapersonally... will influence and affect how I interact with others...
Interpersonally.

Psychological Defense Mechanisms & Ego States -- Various Configurations

Adult Ego State - In a healthy adult, the Adult is the primary ego state for making
decisions, solving problems, getting the job done and other executive functioning.
In healthy adult relationships it's also the primary ego state for interpersonal
functioning.

Occasionally, in intimate relationships it's healthy and important to use the

psychological defense mechanism of regressing into the Natural Child ego state so
they can play together.

At other times it's healthy to move into Parent ego state to provide nurturing and
support to a friend or partner who is in a Child -- for example, during times of
grief and loss.

Adapted Child Ego State - The "Parent-in-the-Child" is the neural network that
"adapted" to the dysfunction of the family... A child is born into the world with
all the Natural Child qualities and psychological defense mechanisms.
The child in a less-than-nurturing family must use psychological defense mechanisms
to adapt because it's not okay to ask directly for what you need, express certain
feelings, or break certain unspoken rules.

The Adapted Child learns, by way of the Little Professor, how to "configure" or
arrange the following ego states and psychological defense mechanisms to get it's
needs met.

Being necessary for survival, these defensive maneuvers were appropriately termed
survival skills. While useful and necessary during childhood, survival skills do
not make good substitutions for the coping skills of a healthy adult human being.

Critical Parent Ego State - The Critical Parent ES is that network that has
recorded on it all of the childhood messages of parents and other authority figures
-- in other words an Introject.

Many of the messages were assimilated (accepted as part of self)... "look both
ways before you cross the street". Others were "taken in" but not assimilated
(introjects) because they created limitations and barriers to intimacy..."don't
talk, don't trust, don't feel".

These are also known as Injunctions in TA language.

Most of us alternate between being an Internalizer and an Externalizer but we

tend to fall closer to one end of the continuum than the other.

Internalizers tend to turn their critical parent messages inward to create

(Introjection) and perpetuate what we know as low self-esteem and negative self-
talk.

Externalizers turn their CP messages outward (Projection) to create and

perpetuate what we know as grandiosity or narcissism. These characteristics of
self-centeredness (aka "Big Ego") are created by the psychological defense
mechanism of reaction formation.

Angry/Defiant Child Ego State - The Angry/Defiant Child is the network that
developed somewhere in the modeling period between 9 and 13 years old...usually
closer to 12 or 13. It's the part of us that learns to resist and endure abusive,
hurtful behavior from others.

If we grew up in a family where expressions of anger or defiance were strictly

prohibited, it was important to repress our Angry/Defiant Child ego state. Another
term for this psychological defense mechanism of disowning a part of ourself.

Repressing our Angry Child frequently results in the polarizing effect of

strengthening our Vulnerable Child -- another reaction formation.

With a Pronounced Vulnerable Child and a Repressed Angry/Defiant Child it

becomes difficult, it not almost impossible, to set healthy boundaries and protect
ourselves -- our anger helps us set our boundaries so we can maintain our
separateness or autonomy.

Vulnerable Child Ego State - The Vulnerable Child is the network that developed
during the the imprint period -- 1 to 7 years old...usually between 3 and 6 years
old.

If we grew up in a family where tears, crying, and other expressions of

vulnerability were prohibited then we had to learn to repress, or disown, our
Vulnerable Child ego state.
 Repressing our Vulnerable Child frequently results in the polarizing effect of
strengthening our Angry/Defiant Child -- again, a reaction formation.

With a Pronounced Angry/Defiant Child and a Repressed Vulnerable Child it

becomes difficult to feel compassion and empathy for others -- Our ability to be
vulnerable allows us to let the walls down so we can connect emotionally to others
in a healthy way.

Little Professor Ego State - The "Adult-in-the-Child", aka the Little Professor, is
that smart, intuitive, creative and manipulative part of us that helps the Adapted
Child learn how to get what it needs.

When we grow up in a less-than-nurturing family the Little Professor is the neural

network that works behind the scenes to gather and store data about what works and
what doesn't work.

If you've ever seen Candid Camera or any other show where they interview little
kids about life...then you have seen the Little Professor in action. The kids can
be hilarious because there is usually quite a bit of accuracy to their intuitive
but far out answers.

The Little Professor is the network that later branches out and expands into the
Adult... They are both "computers", but the Adult has data in the form of
experience and wisdom on the hard-drive -- All the Little Professor has to go on is
instinct and intuition.

The Adult and Little Professor make a good team when creativity is needed - such as
designing new amusement park or roller coaster ride.

It's the Little Professor, with feedback from the environment, that configures the
above childhood ego states...survival is its prime directive so whatever it takes
to survive will become habits that follow us into adulthood.

When a trigger comes along, the appropriate ego state is activated. The program for
that situation runs automatically and right on cue...with all the feelings,
beliefs, attitudes, defenses and experiences of that part of self.

Ego States and Transactions: People's interactions are made up of transactions. Any
one transactions has two parts: the stimulus and the response. Individual
transactions are usually part of a larger set. Some of these transactional sets or
sequences can be direct, productive and healthy or they can be devious, wasteful
and unhealthy.

When people interact they do so in one of three different ego states. An ego state
is a specific way of thinking feeling and behaving and each ego state has its
origin in specific regions of the brain. People can behave from their Parent ego
state, or from their Child ego state or from their Adult ego state. At any one time
our actions come from one of these three ego states.

Build in social support. Many studies show that there is a profound impact of
practical and emotional support on helping patients to adhere. Marital status and
living with another are not nearly as important as having available supportive and
helpful others.

In vain I have struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You
must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.

McSweeney, Maureen, PHD

112 West 56 Street
Suite 15S
New York, NY 10019-3834
(212) 247-3205
DrMcSweeney@DrMcSweeney.com