Toward the study of the relationship between psychological defenses and psychosocial stress factors in modern foreign science

Abstract

The phenomenon of psychological defenses is considered from the standpoint of various approaches (cognitive, psychodynamic, behavioral, etc.), to understanding this phenomenon. The novelty in the research of foreign authors of the first quarter of the 21st century is traced. Empirical studies of psychological defenses within the framework of the theory of “stress vaccination”, “minority stress” in connection with “distorted perception”, social control and psychological well-being are presented. The impact of social factors (stress, depression, etc.) on the development of immature psychological defenses in a person, which reduce the level of psychological well-being, the ability to cope with mental conditions and disorders, and the level of self-esteem, is relevant. In cases of gender discrimination, alienation (avoidance) is more often chosen, while stigmatization on some other grounds leads to self-condemnation, self-doubt, and depression. Separate studies are devoted to the negative consequences of the use of immature and neurotic psychological defenses, as a result of which positive results are devalued, and the task is perceived subjectively as more difficult, while the use of mature protective mechanisms increases the mental stability of the individual. A number of modern foreign studies are devoted to understanding psychological defenses as factors of recovery or degradation, for example, the interpretation of the mechanisms underlying depression as protective (“smoke detector”), and sleepwalking and night terrors as a causes of “failure” of more mature and adaptive psychological defenses. The latest research on the trigger of time and place in its relationship with the cognitive processes of a person experiencing a psychotic episode can provide a more favorable outcome on the path of recovery. The purpose of this work was to study the current directions of research on the problem of psychological protection in foreign publications of the late 20th — first quarter of the 21st century. The research methods were the analysis and structured presentation of literary sources of foreign authors on the problem of the phenomenon of psychological defenses in modern foreign science.