Defenses Against Emotions

We as humans have coped with our situations in the best possible alternatives available to us. These coping mechanisms could be adaptive or maladaptive. Our culture has always seen emotions as something to be controlled rather than acknowledged. A child learns his defenses through his or her parents where they not only model ways to avoid and shut down feelings but also to model the right way to be. Some parents discourage their children for showing certain emotions. They dismiss, ignore or even go into " fix it" mode to control emotions although parents do not mean to cause harm to their children. Some of these defenses stay with them through their lives becoming their way of life.