CHAPTER TEN
Selection principles and mental defences
T he communicative approach, with its adaptive orientation
and use of trigger-decoding, calls for revisions and extensions of current understanding and formulation of mental
and behavioural defences. As defined in chapter 1, mental defences
are all non-action, non-somatic protective measures adopted by
the human mind as adaptive or maladaptive responses to disturbing adaptation-evoking triggering events. While these defences do
have complex behavioural consequences, they operate primarily
in the psychological sphere.The two basic forms of human mental defences are:Selection principles and mental defences
| 1. | Active (non-avoidance) coping efforts . This includes all measures taken by humans to deal actively with an emotionally charged triggering event -- something akin to the fight aspect of adaptation as defined by Cannon ( 1929). For example, were a therapist to say something nasty to a patient, an active mental coping response might involve the patient's consciously working over the experience in his or her mind. Quite often, this mental |
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Questia, a part of Gale, Cengage Learning. www.questia.com
Publication information:
Book title: Death Anxiety and Clinical Practice.
Contributors: Robert Langs - Author.
Publisher: Karnac Books.
Place of publication: London.
Publication year: 1997.
Page number: 148.
This material is protected by copyright and, with the exception of fair use, may not be further copied, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means.
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