Protecting one's soul: A Christian inquiry into defensive activity

Defense mechanisms are widely accepted as important psychological construct s. However, each theoretical community is obliged to reinterpret such compl ex constructs in light of its own ultimate framework and set of goods. For the Christian, this entails an examination of biblical and theological mate rials that bear upon the defenses. Soren Kierkegaard's work illustrates the possible fruits of original sin and Christian exploration of defensive act ivity As is well-known, Freud and his followers developed an orientation to the defenses that is rich, but is also one rooted in secular, naturalistic assumptions. The article concludes with a discussion of some developmental , moral, and treatment implications regarding the defenses from a Christian standpoint.