Defensive Functioning Moderates the Effects of Nondirective Meditation

Hersoug, Anne Grete; Wærsted, Morten; Lau, Bjørn

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.629784

Cited by 8 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Individuals who have experience trauma tend to use defense mechanisms as repression, dissociation, and isolation of affects in order to protect themselves from the awareness of stressful experience that they cannot fully manage [ 46 , 47 ]; this allows them to maintain emotional distance from feeling or ideas associated with the stressor. High-adaptive defense mechanisms, also called mature defenses, moderate the individual’s adjustment to stressful conditions and foster resilience [ 48 , 49 ]. The function of mature defenses includes reduction of negative affect, partial or full awareness of stressful agents, and the ability to reflect and act upon the resolution of such conflicts.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stress, Burnout, and Resilience among Healthcare Workers during the COVID-19 Emergency: The Role of Defense Mechanisms

Giuseppe

Nepa²,

Prout

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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The experience of working on the frontlines of the COVID-19 healthcare crisis has presented a cumulative traumatic experience that affects healthcare professionals’ well-being. Psychological resources such as resilience and adaptive defense mechanisms are essential in protecting individuals from severe stress and burnout. During September 2020, 233 healthcare workers responded to an online survey to test the impact of demographic variables, COVID-19 exposure, and psychological resources in determining stress and burnout during the COVID-19 emergency. Frontline workers reported higher scores for stress, emotional exhaustion, and depersonalization (p < 0.001) as compared to colleagues working in units not directly serving patients with COVID-19. Mature defensive functioning was associated with resilience and personal accomplishment (r = 0.320; p < 0.001), while neurotic and immature defenses were related to perceived stress and burnout. Stress and burnout were predicted by lower age, female gender, greater exposure to COVID-19, lower resilience, and immature defensive functioning among healthcare professionals (R2 = 463; p < 0.001). Working on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic appears to provoke greater stress and burnout. On the other hand, resilience and adaptive defense mechanisms predicted better adjustment. Future reaction plans should promote effective programs offering support for healthcare workers who provide direct care to patients with COVID-19.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stress, Burnout, and Resilience among Healthcare Workers during the COVID-19 Emergency: The Role of Defense Mechanisms

Giuseppe

Nepa²,

Prout

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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show abstract

“…Known as a key factor of personality structure, defensive functioning influences cognitive, affective, relational, and behavioral strategies activated by an individual in response to internal conflicts and external stressors (Lingiardi et al, 2010 ; Hersoug et al, 2021 ). Like other emotion regulation strategies, defense mechanisms tend to change throughout psychotherapy, and their improvement impact symptoms severity and overall mental health (Perry and Bond, 2012 ; Di Giuseppe et al, 2020b ; de Roten et al, 2021 ; Perry et al, 2022 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Case report: Changes in defense mechanisms, personality functioning, and body mass index during psychotherapy with patients with anorexia nervosa

Conversano

Giuseppe²,

Lingiardi³

2023

Front. Psychol.

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Eating disorders (EDs) are difficult to treat in psychotherapy due to their pervasive symptomatology and frequent and rapid relapses. Restrictive anorexia nervosa (AN) is the most challenging ED, often associated with severe physical and mental conditions. Perceived as an ego-syntonic syndrome that somehow protects the patient from a number of developmental tasks, treating AN requires extensive multidisciplinary long-term intervention. As with other emotion regulation strategies, defense mechanisms mediate an individual's reaction to internal or external stressors, including those related to ED conditions. Improving defensive functioning adaptiveness predicts psychotherapy outcomes and is an essential component of the therapeutic process. In this study, we qualitatively described changes in the use of defense mechanisms, personality functioning (PF), and body mass index (BMI) in two patients with severe AN in treatment with intense dynamic psychotherapy. Changes in personality functioning and defense mechanisms were periodically assessed every 6 months using clinician report measures such as the Shedler-Westen Assessment Procedure-200 (SWAP-200) and the Defense Mechanisms Rating Scales Q-sort (DMRS-Q), respectively. BMI was also monitored throughout the treatment. A qualitative description of the patient's defensive profile and the quantitative score on all ranges of defense mechanisms were used for studying changes in patients' use of defenses during the treatment and relationships between defenses and outcome indexes. Personality and defensive functioning improved after 1 year of intense dynamic psychotherapy, independently from BMI improvement. All outcome indexes dramatically decreased before a scheduled interruption of the treatment, underling that an integrated therapeutic approach is essential for improving and eventually orienting toward complete ED symptoms remission. Long-term dynamic psychotherapy fosters self-awareness of psychological distress and enhances more mature ways of coping. Monitoring changes in personality and defense mechanisms helps in understanding patients' reactions to stressful life events and in developing specific therapeutic interventions.

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“…Finally, the lack of information on psychiatric symptoms at the time of interview might have led us to overlook potentially significant factors in individual defensive functioning. Considering the predictive value of defensive functioning on mental health (Conversano and Di Giuseppe, 2021;Hersoug et al, 2021), future research should seek to produce a comprehensive assessment of psychological changes during gender transitions, both before and after hormone therapy and gender reassignment surgery, in order to better understand the impact of psychological and psychosocial factors on defensive functioning.…”

Section: Limitations and Future Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Defensive Functioning of Individuals Diagnosed With Gender Dysphoria at the Beginning of Their Hormonal Treatment

et al. 2021

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Defense mechanisms are relevant indicators of psychological functioning and vulnerability to psychopathology. Their evaluation can unveil individuals' unconscious strategies for mediating reactions to emotional conflict and external stressors. At the beginning of their journey toward gender reassignment, individuals diagnosed with gender dysphoria (GD) may experience conflict and stressful experiences that trigger a wide range of defense mechanisms. Mature defenses may strengthen these individuals as they travel along this important path, while neurotic and immature defenses may exacerbate their body dissatisfaction (BD) and hinder their processing of change. Only a few studies have investigated self-reported defensive functioning in transgender people, finding a higher frequency of maladaptive defense mechanisms relative to controls. The present study was the first to apply an in-depth clinician-rated tool to assess the entire hierarchy of defense mechanisms within a sample of transgender people. Defensive functioning and personality organization were assessed in 36 individuals diagnosed with GD (14 trans women, 22 trans men, mean age 23.47 years), using the Defense Mechanisms Rating Scales (Perry, 1990) and the Shedler-Westen Assessment Procedure-200 (Shedler et al., 2014). Body uneasiness was assessed using the Body Uneasiness Test (BUT; Cuzzolaro et al., 2006). The findings showed that defensive functioning correlated positively with healthy personality functioning and negatively with BD. Compared to cisgender controls, participants with GD who presented greater defensive functioning were found to be more immature and to demonstrate significant differences in many levels of functioning. The clinical implications of the results suggest that psychological interventions aimed at improving defensive functioning in individuals with GD will be important in helping them manage the challenges posed by their gender transition.

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Defensive Functioning Moderates the Effects of Nondirective Meditation

Cited by 8 publications

References 25 publications

Stress, Burnout, and Resilience among Healthcare Workers during the COVID-19 Emergency: The Role of Defense Mechanisms

Stress, Burnout, and Resilience among Healthcare Workers during the COVID-19 Emergency: The Role of Defense Mechanisms

Case report: Changes in defense mechanisms, personality functioning, and body mass index during psychotherapy with patients with anorexia nervosa

Defensive Functioning of Individuals Diagnosed With Gender Dysphoria at the Beginning of Their Hormonal Treatment

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