Immunity in analysis is understood as the ability of an individual to protect themselves from psychological distress caused by their feelings and emotions. This can be seen as the individual’s capacity to remain strong in the face of emotional pain, deal with difficult situations, and move forward in a positive direction.
In psychoanalytic theory, Sigmund Freud proposed that the unconscious mind creates defenses, or what he referred to as “resistances,” to protect itself from the distress caused by unacceptable or painful feelings. This is referred to as “psychic immunity” as the individual is able to protect themselves from the psychological pain associated with certain thoughts or feelings.
Freud further suggested that these defenses can take many forms, such as repression, denial, rationalization, and projection. In repression, for example, the individual is able to push certain thoughts or feelings away in order to avoid them.
In more contemporary psychoanalytic approaches, immunity is seen as the capacity of the individual to remain psychologically resilient in the face of emotional pain, to be able to cope with life’s difficult situations, and to continue to strive for growth and development in a positive direction.
In addition to psychoanalytic theory, cognitive-behavioral theory also views immunity as an important concept. According to this approach, the individual is able to protect themselves from distress by altering their thinking and behavior in a positive way as a means of coping with difficult situations.
Overall, immunity is an important concept in both psychoanalytic and cognitive-behavioral theories. It is seen as the ability of the individual to protect themselves from psychological distress caused by their feelings and emotions, and to remain psychologically resilient in the face of difficult life situations.