Defense Mechanism of Dissociation

Defense Mechanism of Dissociation Name Institution Defense Mechanism of Dissociation Human beings are prone to experience various circumstances, events, or situations with equally diverse repercussions on their physical, emotional, and social well-being. The experiences witnessed or incurred by an individual may have some lasting effects on their personalities, which may not be conspicuous to themselves but evident to other people of close relations. Such personality changes may have either adverse or positive impacts on the life of a person depending on the extent or extremities of the change. However, it is crucial to reiterate on the fact that these changes are often influenced by the unconscious mental state of a person and may not necessarily be a voluntary process initiated by the willingness and ability to do things outside the norm of what is perceivably a person’s identity or way of doing things. It is due to the unconscious mental processes that people find themselves doing, or saying things for reasons they cannot explain. The unconscious mental processes serve as protective measures taken by the body against life experiences with adverse or negative effects on a person’s emotional well-being CITATION Cra09 \l 1033 (Cramer, 2009). Traumatic childhood experiences of abuse, for instance, could be a trigger for unconscious mental processes through which the individual develops protective measures against the effects of going through the ordeal CITATION Cra09 \l 1033 (Cramer, 2009). The preventive measures initiated by the mental processes are also known as the defense mechanisms which often manifest in the unconscious state in a person. Dissociation forms one of the defense mechanisms employed by individuals when faced with uncomfortable or challenging situations with negative repercussions on their emotional well-being CITATION Sap15 \l 1033 (Sapp, 2015). The feelings of anxiety, fear, and pain experienced from such situations may lead to the development of a defense or coping system to their effects on people’s quality of life. Dissociation refers to a defense mechanism where individuals seclude themselves from the reality of their situations, which they find unbearable or evoking negative emotions CITATION Sap15 \l 1033 (Sapp, 2015). The negative emotions may have negative effects on a person’s well-being as they reflect on their abilities to overcome situations or events responsible for their predicaments CITATION Sap15 \l 1033 (Sapp, 2015). The defense mechanism of dissociation thus refers to the unconscious disconnection from a person’s current situation into a more comfortable situation devoid of negative emotions, thoughts, and feelings related to the traumatic circumstances. It functions to stop or reduce the extent of fear, pain, or other...