Decades ago, I taught Psychology at the secondary education level. One of the topics we discussed every semester was on “Defense Mechanisms.” Defense mechanisms, by definition, are the unconscious ways, or better stated, unconscious strategies, by which people protect themselves from anxiety or troubling thoughts produced by troubling times. There are a variety of defense mechanisms, some positive and some negative, in my opinion. You probably remember them if you took Psychology at any level or as you were exposed to them in some type of informal education training, such as that offered in the workplace where companies tried to contribute to individuals’ leadership development. The mechanisms include regression, suppression, displacement, denial, projection, and reaction formation. You can go back and review the one’s that I have listed, and when you do, you will find additional mechanism. I’ll save you some time and discuss one I did not list already, sublimation, especially since it relates to the title above.
Sublimation, in a broad, general sense, is where a person protects self from anxiety by being productive. Now, being transparent, in the past I have judged people who were staying busy, working non-stop, to be working with an ulterior, unconscious motive, not doing what they were doing because of a desire to help another party. The work was great, but the motive was not.
Now, looking way back in time, I am positively certain that I was not always 100% correct about every individual’s use of sublimation. For you such persons were really trying to do something for the benefit of others, family, an organization, or even the organism called the church. The results of their productivity were usually positive,
However, the problem lies in the fact that they were not dealing with whatever it was that was causing the anxiety. Let me continue with my transparency, in a very personal way. This past Friday I got up and started working at 2:00 a.m. and continued through early afternoon. The next day, Saturday, I got up a little before 4:00 a.m. and started working. By noon I had already put in eight hours, and the day was not close to being over. You know what? You guessed it! I was guilty of using the defense mechanism called sublimation. When I realized what I was doing, I shared my discovery with my wife. You see, I got word Thursday afternoon that a person who has been a friend of mine since kindergarten, and a fellow Pastor, he had transitioned, went home to be with the Lord. Being human, I was saddened. Being a person of faith, I found joy in knowing that my friend’s soul was with the Lord. However, no matter how talking about the situation with my spouse and sharing with you definitely helped me deal with a troubling time. I also had a talk with One who is a very present help in times of trouble. Yes, I deferred to the Lord in prayer. I got in touch with the greatest Counselor one could ever find to provide comfort, peace, and reason to give Him praise in the midst of what I was feeling.
Listen, sublimation is not always bad, but don’t just use that mechanism. Seek out a fellow believer to talk to about your anxiousness or troubles. And definitely seek the Lord while He can be found! Call on the Lord, knowing that the dynamics in the verse below will work for you, my friend. Be blessed!
“I sought the Lord and He answered me, and rescued me from all my fears.” (Psalm 34:4 New American Standard Bible)
Committed to the climb,
Mark L. King