Аннотация:The author discusses the controversial issues of formation and functioning of psychological defense mechanisms in ontogenesis and in personality disorders as they are represented in classical and contemporary psychoanalysis, in cognitivism and communication theory. The paper emphasizes the role of cognitive organization (style), sign-symbolic mediation, representative system of object relations and attachments in individual typological variability of the level organization of defense mechanisms, in efficiency of personal and social adaptation, in maturity and mental health of personality.
Keywords: defense mechanisms; psychodynamic, cognitive and communicative theories; ontogenesis and psychopathology, cognitive and symbolic mediation, self-representation, object-representation, personality disorders, behavior deviations.
The work was accomplished with the financial support of the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, grant № 05_06_80240.