Introjection Defense Mechanism
Introjection in psychology is a theory that comes from psychoanalytic theories of non-conscious motivations. It was a commonly used term by prominent psychoanalytic psychologists such as Sigmund Freud, Maria Torok, and Melanie Klein.
What is Introjection?
In simple terms, introjection is when an individual adopts characteristics, behaviors, or thought patterns from another. We will go into introjection examples in a bit, but it’s important to note that this can be either a defense mechanism or a perfectly normal part of development. Children may take on some values, attitudes, speech patterns, etc. from their parents or siblings.
Part of introjection is that it is generally considered non-conscious. Individuals don’t explicitly choose to take on qualities of others; rather, it happens in the non-conscious mind. When someone experiences introjection, they identify with these emotions, thought patterns, or characteristics in themselves, perhaps not even knowing where they came from.
Views on Introjection
I am not endorsing any of these well-known psychologists as a whole, but if we’re talking about introjection it is useful to understand what some foundational thinkers believe about introjection. For Sigmund Freud, introjection was part of the ego. Specifically, the ego and supergo are built from the introjection of others’ behavioral patterns. Or, in simpler terms, we build our personalities, logic, and reasoning from parents or figures of authority.
Maria Tork, the Hungarian-born psychoanalyst who was a champion of introjection in the mid 1900’s, disagreed with Freud a bit on introjection. She believed that what Freud called introjection could actually be more accurately called incorporation. Introjection, in her view, is more of a way to broaden the ego and include external stimulus in its makeup, especially in infancy and early childhood. She emphasized the role of introjection in early development as it relates to a child’s inner world, fantasies, and relation with the outside world.
Moving out of psychoanalysis, Fritz and Laura Perls were the founders of Gestalt therapy. In the Perls’ opinion, introjection was not necessarily healthy. Instead, they held that we can taste an experience with awareness, and choose to either accept it or reject it. If we just swallow the experience whole, we are introjecting and taking it on without conscious thought. Instead, we can look at the behavior or characteristic with curiosity and the conscious mind to decide how we are going to incorporate it into our being.
Introjection as a Defense Mechanism
As a defense mechanism, introjection is generally considered self-stabilizing. Specifically, introjection occurs when a parent or caregiver is not fully present. They may be physically present, but not emotionally or psychologically present. Or, they may be present but abusive in some form. Introjection in these cases is theorized to provide a connection or relationship where there isn’t a strong one. This comes at the expense of a sense of self.
In addition to parents and caregivers, individuals can use the introjection defense mechanism in many social situations. The gradual introjection alters our self-image and allows us to fit in better, feel close and connected with those around us, and protects us from social anxiety or low self-worth.
Examples of Introjection
To illustrate introjection a little more clearly, I thought it’d be useful to give a couple of hypothetical examples. These are not based on anyone specifically, but general examples of what introjection may look like in real life.
Child Imitating Adults
First, as mentioned children will often introject with adults in their lives. This is believed by some to be a normal part of early childhood development. Let’s say a parent finds driving to be rather anxiety-provoking. That’s a normal experience for many people, so no shame. When the parent drives the kid around, the kid senses the anxiety and takes it upon themselves. This isn’t exactly internalization; the child is not taking blame or feeling at fault for the anxiety. Instead, they treat driving as an anxious activity in their own life as they continue to experience it with worry.
That is perhaps a negative or unpleasant example, but it goes the other way as well. Let’s say a parent always says please and thank you and converses with the person at the checkout counter at the grocery store. A child may see this repeatedly, learn that that is how you interact with those individuals working in those positions, and take it upon themselves.
Child Experiencing Bullying
Another example out of early childhood can be found in bullying. If a child is bullied repeatedly for some time, they may begin adopting the bully’s behavior. They may bully their bully, or others. This helps the individual feel more connected with the bully, prevent themselves from being bullied in the future, and eases the discomfort of those social interactions. This may not be a conscious decision, but a slow incorporation of the behavior into their own personal identity.
Adult Internalizing Expectations at Work
Although not based on any individual client, I actually see this one a lot. The work culture in the US is often one of working harder, high expectations, long hours, and tons of demands. Individuals may slowly internalize this, making their productivity a key part of their self-worth. But introjection may also occur where the individual begins seeing both themselves and others based on their productivity. Again, this process happens to ease any issues with self-worth in the workplace and to fit into or connect with the social norms of the workplace. The person may have valued free time and freedom before the job, and the introjection moves them more toward valuing hard work and dedication.
Adult Relationships
Finally, I’ll use the example of adult relationships with two examples. First, we can look at a relationship where communication may be an issue. Maybe someone doesn’t feel heard in the relationship for some reason. As a defense mechanism, the person may slowly take on aspects of their partner’s behavior to feel closer and connect with them.
This can also happen during long-distance relationships, in order to help people feel that they have a part of their partner with them. Because of the physical and perhaps emotional distance, one partner may begin taking on parts of the other’s personality. This happens slowly and gradually, and serves to help the individual feel closer.
It’s also possible for introjection to be a bit more positive. When you spend so much time with a partner, you may take on parts of their personality as your own. You may learn morals and values from your partner and slowly take them on yourself, such as compassion or empathy, loyalty, strong communication, etc.
Introjection in a Clinical Setting
In a clinical setting, there are effective interventions for negative introjections. Psychoanalytic therapists may investigate your past and look at deep-rooted unconscious material. The idea here is to give an understanding of how the introjection developed in order to dismantle it.
Cognitive behavioral therapy can also help individuals reocgnize and analyze limiting or harmful beliefs and thoughts as far as their wellness goes. In addition, you can learn to show up for yourself and build a strong sense of self so you aren’t quite as susceptible to introjection in the future.
