Interrelation of Psychological Defense Mechanisms and Time Perspective during Middle Adulthood

Abstract

The article discloses the problem of connection of psychological defense mechanisms and time perspective during middle adulthood. The research was conducted considering the modern ideas of psychological defense mechanisms and time perspective of the personality. As a result of the stating experiment the data confirming existence of correlation between defense mechanisms, temporal orientation, extent of future perspective and event saturation of the different temporal periods have been obtained. High tension psychological defenses and some primitive psychological defenses are associated with a focus on the negative past and fatalistic present; this combination characterizes the personality as insufficiently mature. More primitive defenses are connected with adverse temporal orientation (the negative past and the fatalistic present), more mature - with favorable orientation (future). Results of the study can be used in psychological counseling in order to enhance personal development and social adaptation.

Keywords

• middle adulthood
• defense mechanisms
• tension of defense mechanisms
• time perspective
• time perspective during middle adulthood
• psychological time of personality