Reference, Temporality and the Defences

Abstract

This paper aims to apply an awareness of temporality and meaning in understanding defences. The many processes called defences are a pre-emptive wiping away of anxiety or an attempt at combating unpleasant emotions or thoughts. The aim of the paper is to apply temporal understanding to reveal underlying attitudes within the defences as a beginning to understanding temporality within the full range of human experience. The paper has selected the core themes of Husserl and Heidegger, namely reference and temporality, and links them to the covering over and revealing of retained experience, without presenting the many allied themes that could be dis- cussed in addition to these. Also within the confines of a journal article it is not possible to tell the whole story of associated themes so some aspects have been omitted through the necessity of limited space.