2007.04.25: April 25, 2007: Headlines: Culture Shock: Psychology: Dr. Sanity: Mature and Immature Psychological Defense Mechanisms used by Peace Corps Volunteers in adjusting to Culture Shock
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2007.04.25: April 25, 2007: Headlines: Culture Shock: Psychology: Dr. Sanity: Mature and Immature Psychological Defense Mechanisms used by Peace Corps Volunteers in adjusting to Culture Shock
Mature and Immature Psychological Defense Mechanisms used by Peace Corps Volunteers in adjusting to Culture Shock
The purpose of all psychological defenses, whether mature or not-- is to assist the individual in coping with sudden changes; or severe internal or external conflicts that threaten to overwhelm the sense of self. Such changes or conflicts may relate to the people in our lives; to factors or behavior which challenge our values or our emotional capabilities; or to changes in reality that shake the foundations of our view of the world. Defenses are typically considered in a hierarchy extending from immature to mature. The least mature—or psychotic defenses include: denial, distortion, and delusional projection (paranoia); the immature defenses are: fantasy, projection, hypochondriasis, passive-aggression and acting out. Neurotic defenses are: intellectualization, repression, reaction formation, displacement, and dissociation. The mature defenses include: sublimation, suppression, anticipation, altruism, and humor. Other defenses exist, but these are the ones most commonly discussed.
PCOL Comment: Question: Why do most Peace Corps Volunteers who complete their service have a good sense of humor? One Answer: Humor is one of the most successful defense mechanisms for coping with the psychological dislocations of culture shock.
Mature and Immature Psychological Defense Mechanisms used by Peace Corps Volunteers in adjusting to Culture Shock
Symptom or Adaptation
Caption: A porcupine in the Caracas Zoo. Porcupines are rodents with a coat of sharp spines, or quills, that defends them from predators. The animal's quills or spines take on various forms, depending on the species, but all are modified hairs coated with thick plates of keratin, and they are embedded in the skin musculature. Virtually all species of porcupine have approximately 30,000 quills. Contrary to popular belief, porcupines are not capable of throwing their quills, but they detach very easily and will remain embedded in an attacker. Porcupine quills are as sharp as needles. Unlike needles, however, the quills of New World porcupines have microscopic, backwards-facing barbs on the tip that catch on the skin making them difficult to extract. Source: Wikipedia Photo: blmurch Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0
Psychological defenses can either be "red flags" that alert a person (or an observer) about an underlying conflict; or they can be mature adaptations to life that bring pleasure and fulfillment, as well as enhance society.
[Excerpt]
Defenses are typically considered in a hierarchy extending from immature to mature. The least mature—or psychotic defenses include: denial, distortion, and delusional projection (paranoia); the immature defenses are: fantasy, projection, hypochondriasis, passive-aggression and acting out. Neurotic defenses are: intellectualization, repression, reaction formation, displacement, and dissociation. The mature defenses include: sublimation, suppression, anticipation, altruism, and humor. Other defenses exist, but these are the ones most commonly discussed.
The purpose of all psychological defenses, whether mature or not-- is to assist the individual in coping with sudden changes; or severe internal or external conflicts that threaten to overwhelm the sense of self. Such changes or conflicts may relate to the people in our lives; to factors or behavior which challenge our values or our emotional capabilities; or to changes in reality that shake the foundations of our view of the world.
All such defenses-- to a greater or lesser extent-- distort reality. The less mature distort reality greatly; while the most mature allow for the expression of the inner conflict in socially appropriate--i.e., civilized-- and psychologically healthy ways that at least conform to reality, even if they don't necessarily acknowledge it.
The key to understanding psychological defenses is to realize that all of them--no matter how infantile or immature--are attempts to adapt to a difficult situation. What matters is not that an immature defense is being used, but how long the individual uses it before it becomes maladaptive, dysfunctional, pathological and/or potentially dangerous and life-threatening to the individual and/or group using it.
The key to gaining control over behavior that is motivated by maladaptive, unconscious defenses is to make them conscious. This requires that a person be able to reflect on his or her behavior or feelings and on the contents of one's mind; and with honesty and forthrightness develop some insight into why one feels, thinks, or acts a certain way. This is particularly important if the way one is thinking, feeling or acting is causing serious problems to one's self or to others.
By making the unconscious conscious, they begin to understand why they are behaving irrationally and why they have problems in their life. The goal is to get them to abandon those defenses that are distorting reality and holding them back; and to develop a new synthesis so that even their conflicts are put to a positive and productive use in their life.
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Headlines: April, 2007; Culture Shock; Psychology
When this story was posted in April 2007, this was on the front page of PCOL:
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Story Source: Dr. Sanity
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; Culture Shock; Psychology
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By CarmenBailey (adsl-70-248-63-34.dsl.rcsntx.swbell.net - 70.248.63.34) on Thursday, April 26, 2007 - 11:07 am: Edit Post |
May we have a higher level definition of
Return Culture Shock to include reasons like
"having lost a place on Planet Earth where
what we did mattered; was appreciated;
and we are missed." None of which happens
in America.
My experience with Return Culture Shock is
to be inundated with "get over it" from
psychologists who are happy with their ignorance
of what it embodies like - WHY DOES CULTURE SHOCK EXIST? Answer: see the first paragragh.
And please see the title page of my ebook
thebigtrek.com where I say I am returning to
Africa where laughter and beauty of souls
abound... this before I knew about culture shock, and was interested only in locating a place
where I fit. It isn't normal - to use your popular
paraphrase - to accept trying to fit one's rounded self into your square and empty hole.
Where world class doctors knew all about Cerebral Malaria and asked me how I survived it and what
medicine I took. But here in America I was told
that no one survives Cerebral Malaria therefore I didn't have it and Peace Corps accepted this
diagnoses even though it paid my hospital bill.
The disease is still not decribed in the medical
manual WHERE THERE IS NO DOCTOR by Werner. I have tried for 20 years to get a Congressional Hearing
on this problem of denying life saving data to Volunteers.
Now... would an educated from the wrong slant
doctor like to tell ME why I should not have
Return Culture Shock?
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By CarmenBailey (ppp-70-248-49-129.dsl.rcsntx.swbell.net - 70.248.49.129) on Friday, April 27, 2007 - 9:27 am: Edit Post |
I suggest a method of aid to Returning
Peace Corps Volunteers' sudden loss of
having mattered [and being removed before
the job is finished], is to approach it
during training with discussion of
"What I want to do after Peace Corps"
so that at least the thought is planted
and the ending term does not have to become
an End All.
And I'd like to see the subject be another
regular contribution of Peace Corps Online
under the heading of IS THERE LIFE AFTER
PEACE CORPS? Smile Hugh.
What we as RPCVs, and I think, particularly women, need to describe are the cultural defense mechanisms used by those who are threatened by our cross-cultural experience and who attempt to deny our observations or destroy our credibility. It is not only a glass ceiling, it is a glass wall. I worked with indigenous midwives in rural Colombia in the early 60s. I came home with a tremendous respect for their empirical knowledge and their approach to the women they served. When I tried to explain this on a university campus, I was told that I was in danger of "going native." And, as a condition of doing a thesis, I would have to concede that these women were acting out of superstition. I left the program, there was no way to fight...I still see those arrogant male eyes. Who just "knew" their culture was right.
I also remember something as simple as trying to talk to a PC staff (non RPCV) about health education. I tried to explain that it was hard to show benefits from using boiled water when the population had a parasitic infection rate of 300% and there were no drugs available to treat the population. Drinking boiled water did not cure the parasitic diseases. This Washington fool assured me I was wrong. Drinking boiled water, he said, cured amoebas. Of course, he was Washington/PC program staff and they "knew" they were right. After all, it was their job to identify volunteers with the "right stuff."
As for hypochondriasis....let's see the hands of those of us whose "hypochondria " turned out to be life -threatening. My heart goes out to Carmen. I wish her well and I am sorry for all that happened.
