Trauma and defences: their roots in relationship. An overview

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Psychiatry
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Psychodynamic models offer various perspectives on psychological defenses.
• Attachment theory emphasizes affect regulation in early relationships.
• Understanding defense mechanisms is crucial for mental health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare psychodynamic defense models with attachment theory's focus on affect regulation.
• To explore the role of unconscious fantasy in developing healthy narcissism and internal working models.
• To examine archetypal defenses and neurobiological aspects of psychological defenses.

Main Methods:

• Comparative analysis of psychodynamic and attachment theories.
• Exploration of affect regulation strategies, including behavioral and intrapsychic distance regulation (defensive exclusion).
• Developmental perspective on archetypal defenses and relevant neurobiological factors.

Main Results:

• Affect regulation, central to attachment theory, involves behavioral and intrapsychic distance regulation (defensive exclusion).
• Unconscious fantasies are proposed as active, defensive narratives crucial for healthy narcissism and internal working models.
• Archetypal defenses and neurobiological correlates of defenses are considered from a developmental viewpoint.

Conclusions:

• Attachment theory provides a valuable framework for understanding psychological defenses through affect regulation.
• Unconscious fantasies serve a protective function in personality development.
• A comprehensive understanding of defenses requires integrating psychodynamic, attachment, developmental, and neurobiological perspectives.