Unconscious Communication and Defence Mechanisms

Unconscious Communication and Defence MechanismsAccording to Frayne1 unconscious communication is one of the three types of communication, the other ii being conscious and preconscious. To the clinician, it is critical to understand the full nature of unconscious communication, defense lawyers mechanisms and the manner in which these interact in the therapeutic environment2. The therapeutic environment is often prey to issues of transference, countertransference and a multitude of defence mechanisms. As a subject, it is essential that the clinician understand how issues of transactional abbreviation impact both the patient and therapist.The therapeutic context is one based on a close relationship, that of patient and clinician. Both air divisionies bring their own beliefs and perceptions, individualisedity, stages of development and behaviours to the therapeutic experience. As a result, both parties ar prey to their own types of unconscious communication and use of various defence mechanisms. Frayne3 asserts Contemporary psychoanalytic interventions (require that) the analyst be able to work in that transitional field that joins the unconscious of the patient and the analyst.This paper will highlight the many concepts involved in the roles of unconscious communication, defence mechanisms, transactional analysis and the transference and countertransference experience. In browse to highlight these issues and how they can manifest themselves, this paper will present the pillow slip of B.A., a 13-year-old child who has been in the therapeutic shapeting for 5 months. Following the case presentation, topics will be explored in a reflective manner.Case PresentationB.A. is a 13-year-old Caucasian male who presented to the therapeutic setting as a result of maladaptive behaviour displayed at home and in the school setting. B.A. is one of four children born to working class parents, both of whom work a handed-down 830 600 work day. B. A. is second oldest and the except male child. His other sisters are 15, 10 and 7 years of age, respectively.B.A. has had history of excellent grades, for the most part As and a few Bs for the majority of his public education and has been cited as a good citizen by his teachers. Five months past, B.A.s grades significantly dropped to near failing, his office was oppositional, he was frequently truant and B.A. became involved with numerous fights with other children. When school counsellors brought the issues to B.A.s parents, his parents acknowledged that B. A. changed at home as well, being oppositional and defiant. Both his teachers and parents cited increased frequency of lying and his parents stated It is getting impossible to tell the difference between when he is telling us the truth or a lie. We wonder if he hitherto knows the difference anyto a greater extent, whether he believes his lies really are the truth.Upon closer familial examination, B. A.s parents admitted they had been having ma rital problems, including issues of betrayal and unfaithfulness such that there have been regular chinchy sh proscribeding matches and arguments in the house. During those times B.A. would stay in his room and turn the volume on his stereo up, causing more stress within the household. The infidelity was first uncovered six months ago at which time B.A.s parents discussed divorce options, which B. A. overheard.A precipitating incident involving night time vandalism four months ago at his school led to court involvement and mandated psychological counselling for a period of one year.The reflective nature of this paper is based on two months of bi-weekly therapeutic sessions.Unconscious CommunicationFrayn4 tells us that unconscious communication can only be inferred, as it cannot be tangibly seen, that only sensed in the therapeutic setting, primarily during those times of silence. There were many times that B.A. maintained his silence, primarily during those times when he was challe nged to explain his behaviour, justify his actions or explain his thought processes. Although his overt actions during these silent periods could be interpreted as insolent behaviour, there was no way to truly know what unconscious mechanisms were engaged, but a series of defence mechanisms were evident in his therapy and were inferred as greatly influenced by the unconscious process5.Defence MechanismsFrayn6 believes that unconscious processes are often a melody of acting out in the therapeutic environment, in particular those under age seven, where children find it easier to act instead of talk7. This is particularly evident in the transactional analysis approach when dealing with dysfunctional or challenged adolescents, like B.A. who respond with childlike reactions when stressed. In particular, Araujo, Feldman and Steiner8 state that defence mechanisms are a function of age, sex and spot of mental health. In particular, those unconscious actions and reactions are involuntary b ut serve to reduce a perceived threat as reality-distorting mechanisms postulated to form themselves in the unconscious9. Araujo et al. 10 state that youths with psychological issues have a tendency to display less mature defence mechanism such as denial, projection, regression, passive aggression and displacement even though they are considered ineffective coping strategies for an adolescent. More mature defence mechanisms are considered sublimation, anticipation, affiliation, suppression and humour.This concept is particularly important to the therapeutic environment as the defence mechanisms among mentally healthy early adolescents differ from the mentally healthy mid-adolescent. The older the individual on the child to mid-adolescent continuum, the less the patient should be employing unseasoned defence mechanisms11. Similarly, the higher the level of emotional intelligence, the less one relies on maladaptive defence mechanisms that often prove inconsistent and illogical12. B.A .s impulsive and acting out behaviour coupled with his lies made therapy particularly difficult. Elaad13 tells us that lying is a method of deceptive communication that provides an advantage to the deceiver, stating that those with poor social skills use methods of guile more frequently than others with lesser levels of guilt over their deception. From a transactional analysis standpoint, Elaad14 states that the bad-child indulges in defence mechanisms that feel natural, as the ego state attempts to rid itself of agnatic pressure.Clinicians need to be aware of developmental stages and influences, such as emotional intelligence in order to effectively intervene for the patient, especially if significant unconscious communication mechanisms are in place15. Given B.A.s familial discord, it was not difficult to see that when B.A. acted out or displayed other defence mechanisms, including his frequent lying, issues of transference were part of the therapeutic process.TransferenceThe de fence maturity model postulated by Vaillant16 believes that defence projection is the result of unacceptable feelings or relations with another that are displaced and redirected external from one person and directed at a less-cared-for-person, often a therapist. For those patients experiencing unconscious emotions, many times patients will shift their unconscious feelings towards another person instead of dealing with them personally17. B.A. appears to be transferring and projecting his own unresolved parental/authoritarian conflicts on his therapist and although he displays occasional glimmers of wanting to please and sop up the favour of his therapist and gain a feeling of security, the security he used to feel with his parents before the familial discord.CountertransferenceHaarhoff18 tells us that for the therapist, an awareness of countertransference, whereby the therapist unconsciously projects their own unresolved conflicts on the patient can have negative repercussions and consequences if the therapist ignores or fails to understand his or her own emotional reactions including the inability to set limits with a patient, feel inhibited to discuss various topics and other manifestations of avoidant behaviour. As a therapist, issues of countertransference are also paramount in B.A.s therapy, as feeling of crossness at being lied to or suspecting that B.A. is lying during therapy sessions creates feelings of wasted time when time in for sessions is limited and B.A. avoids various topics and time management is one of the personal stressors this writer experiences. Awareness of countertransference creates boundary issues with a therapist19. In particular with B.A., it appears that a more demanding and controlling nature seems to overshadow the therapeutic process.ConclusionThe use of defence mechanisms in the therapeutic environment is important to identify, as, according to Reisner20 different types of neuroses are associated with different types of defen ce mechanisms. For example, those who are high in hysterical identifiers are more likely to employ repression as a defence mechanism where those who are obsessive compulsive, considered sensitizers, are hypervigilant to any kind of threatening stimuli21.Feldman and Steiner22 believe that the more a therapist knows about defence mechanisms, particularly those who deal with children and adolescents, that knowledge can be used to predict levels of pathology among their patients. Aalto-Setala et al. 23 tell us that unconscious behaviours, such as communication and defence mechanisms are associated with an effort by the patient to manage their conflict. In particular, researchers found that the greater levels of immature defence mechanism use by adolescents is associated with the onset of mood disorders in adults24. Successful therapeutic intervention must assess both conscious and unconscious communication in the patient and therapist.BibliographyAalto-Setala, Terhi, Lonnqvist, Jouko, P oikolainen, Kari and Tuulio-Henriksson, Annamari. mental Defence Styles in Late Adolescence and Young Adulthood A Follow-up Study. daybook of the American honorary society of Child and childlike Psychiatry. 1997.Araujo, Katy B., Feldman, S. Shirley and Steiner, Hans. refutal Mechanisms in Adolescents as a Function of Age, Sex, and Mental Health Status. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 1996.Cashwell, Craig S., Schweiger, Wendi K. and Watts, Randolph H., Jr. Fostering Intrinsic motivation in Children A Humanistic Counseling Process. Journal of Humanistic Counseling, Education and Development. 2004.Clark, Arthur J. Scapegoating Dynamics and Interventions in Group Counseling. Journal of Counseling and Development. 2002.Elaad, Eitan. 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Pellitteri, The Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence and Ego Defense Mechanisms, The Journal of Psychology, 2002.13E. Elaad, Detection of Deception A Transactional Analysis Perspective, The Journal of Psychology, 1993.14Elaad 1996.15Pellitteri 2002.16Vaillant, 1986 as cited by S. S. Feldman and H. S teiner, Two approaches to the Measurement of Adaptive Style Comparison of Normal, Psychosomatically Ill and Delinquent Adolescents, Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 1995.17Pellitteri, 2002.18B. A. Haarhoff, The Importance of Identifying and Understanding Therapist Schema in Cognitive Therapy Training and Supervision, New Zealand Journal of Psychology, 2006.19Haarhoff 2006.20A. D. Reisner, Repressed Memories True and False. The Psychological Record, 1996.21Reisner 1996.22Feldman and Steiner 1995.23Aalto-Setala et al. 1997.24Feldman and Steiner 1995 T. Aalto-Setala, J. Lonnqvist, K. Poikolainen and A. Tuulio-Henriksson, Psychological Defense Styles in Late Adolescence and Young Adulthood A Follow-up Study, Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 1997.