What is regression in psychology symptoms and examples

Regression is a very frequent concept of use in psychoanalysis and contemporary psychology. Galimberti (1999) writes that the term regression is a return to previous stages of psychic development that manifests itself in the forms of thought, in current relationships and in the structuring of each person's behavior.

The term has been elaborated in the psychoanalytic sphere by Sigmund Freud. In this psychology-online article we will discover What is regression in psychology, With examples and deepenings about the symptoms of this psychological defense mechanism.

1. What is a regression in psychology
2. History of the concept of regression in psychology
3. Regression examples in psychology
4. How regression is manifested in psychology

What is a regression in psychology

The basis of regression psychology has been Sigmund Freud. Psychoanalysis has identified defense mechanisms and psychological strategies that protect an individual from distressing thoughts when it puts into practice ineffective methods.

The concept of regression in psychology is sliding, active or liabilities, at more immature defense or functioning levels; or also as the search for typical gratifications of previous development phases. It's about a Inherent Defense Mechanism consisting of return to an anterior phase of development or of the self in response to a frustration of satisfaction

This mechanism implies the return to a more obsolete functioning or psychic state, to primitive defensive modalities or the Return to the first relational objects, lived as reassuring in the face of anguish created by current difficulties or conflicts.

History of the concept of regression in psychology

The concept of regression was introduced into psychoanalytic theory as part of topical theory, but different meanings were attributed.

Meaning of dreams and hallucinations

According to Freud, regression in psychology is a mechanism that produces and explains hallucination and sleep phenomena. In the interpretation of dreams, Freud returns to the concept of regression to support his relative hypotheses, on the one hand, to the work of dreams and, on the other, to the pathological processes of psychoneurosis.

Freud formulates the following regression definition: the fact that in the dream the representation returns to the sensory image of which he was born at any time. Therefore, the neurologist uses this concept to explain the tendency to satisfy wishes during sleep by hallucinatory and visual experience.

Meaning of movement backward

Freud also attributed to the regression term the meaning of movement backwards, in a systemic or topical sense. He postulated that in normal psychic functioning there was a predictable sequence of mental events:

1. Of perception (conscious system).
2. To memory (preconconscious system).
3. To oblivion (unconscious system).

Pulsional regression

With the discovery of child sexuality and libido theory, it is added to the concept of pulsional regression. This type of regression refers to the fact that in the presence of frustration, Libidinos desires intend to achieve a Perception identity with previous gratification memories.

Freud uses this same concept to examine libidic development, in terms of organization of child sexuality and its implications in psychopathological processes in adults. In the three essays on sexual theory, he affirms the following: "All the factors that hinder sexual development manifest their action as soon as they cause a regression, a return to an anterior phase of development".

Also postulates that in the early phases of existence, regression in psychology is Reaction to needs and frustrations With the attempt to experience perceptions, already lived above, pleasant.

Regression examples in psychology

The regression is a defense that occurs when, Given the difficulties, or in a situation that we consider much greater than our capacities, our mind launches the mechanisms that we used in the past in the face of similar situations. Indeed, Stress and traumas They can induce the person to put into practice the typical regression mechanisms to escape the problems of the present.

When we have a regression according to psychology

Let's take a work situation as an example. Imagine that we go through a difficult work period, where relationships with our colleagues or with our boss are delicate or that we are wrong or we finish a bad project. This constant demand can make us feel insecure. In this case, a regressive type reaction can manifest itself in the continuous request for confirmation towards our employer or to our colleagues.

Another example of regression in psychology is when we have a fight with our partner. We can start crying and shaking without realizing that we are going back. By staying in the couple's life, regression can occur even when one of the two cannot support an adult relationship. Thus, in a totally unconscious way, perform some Action that will put the couple in crisis.

How regression is manifested in psychology

Regressive behavior can be simple or complex, temporary or permanent, harmful or harmless to the person who shows the behavior and for those around him. Thus, regression in psychology can manifest in the following ways:

• Slight forms of regression: They can include sucking the thumb, chewing the cap of a pen or sleeping with a stuffed animal.
• Moderate regression forms: They can include swinging and crying in a fetal position, wetting the bed or shooting in an outburst of anger. Most people do not know they are going back, while people abroad assume that their behavior is simply improper and immature. In this article, we tell you how to treat an immature person.

Often, the behaviors associated with regression are related to the psychological phase in which the individual has retreated. For example, an individual who goes back to the oral phase could suck a pen, eat impulsively, vomit or become verbally aggressive.

This article is merely informative, in psychology-online we have no power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

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