Features of the use of adaptive and maladaptive defense mechanisms by a person with various types of sensitivity to justice

Abstract

Introduction. The concept of sensitivity to justice, in psychological science, is studied in conjunction with personal characteristics. The multiplicity of affective reactions associated with the experience of injustice forces us to raise the question of the features of the use of psychological defense mechanisms from the position of their adaptability for the individual. Thus, there is a need to describe the similarities and differences in the use of different groups of psychological defenses by a person from the position of their adaptive function.Purpose setting. The main objective of the study is to identify differences in the use of adaptive and maladaptive defense mechanisms by individuals with a predominance of various types of sensitivity to justice.Methodology and methods of the study. The empirical study was carried out by testing the following methods: «Questionnaire of sensitivity to justice» (authors A. A. Adamyan, S. K. Nartova-Bochaver, M. Schmitt), and «Method of measuring psychological protection» (authors R. F. Suleymanov, E. R. Pilyugina), then – by methods of mathematical statistics: cluster (the method of complete-linkage and K-means clustering) and comparative analysis (the H criterion of Kruskal-Wallis).Results. Differences in the use of groups of psychological defense mechanisms by persons with various types of sensitivity to justice were identified and described.Conclusions. Based on the results of the study, it is concluded that there are groups of people with a predominance of one particular type of sensitivity to justice. Differences were found in the manifestation of groups of psychological defense mechanisms in individuals with various types of sensitivity to justice, differing in their adaptability for the individual. The most adaptive defenses are used by persons with a predominance of sensitivity to the justice of the offender, the least adaptive – with sensitivity to the justice of the victim; individuals with sensitivity to the justice of the beneficiary and witness tend to use neurotic defenses.