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An Alphabet of Stage Fright:
A Dictionary of Defenses
Julie Jaffee Nagel, Ph.D.
If you feel chilly, you put on a sweater. If you have high fever, you visit your doctor. If you have a difficult paper to write, you spend time researching and writing. You have a problem. You figure out a solution.
But what if you don't put on a sweater, or visit your doctor, or procrastinate with your work? You convince yourself that your discomforts and work obligations will go away, or it doesn't matter, or your will do it "tomorrow" . You may think the room will warm up, that fever will lessen on it's own, and that your writing deadline can be extended. You figure out solutions.
Which solutions are in your best interest?
In the first instance, you actively deal with the situation that causes discomfort. In the second, you rely on hope and magic thinking. In the first examples, you take action. In the second examples, you wait for a solution to happen. Both examples are options to defend against discomfort and stressors. Maybe both strategies will work, maybe one will, maybe none will. But each person has particular ways of coping with stressors. Coping strategies are called ego defenses. Some ego defenses are more adaptive than others. Sometimes waiting is a better strategy. Other times it may be disastrous.
Ego defenses are relevant in coping with stage fright. You may practice more as a performance approaches. Or you may convince yourself that you have plenty of time before your deadline. You decide to go to the movies. On the other hand, you may work long hours and could benefit from more relaxation and less worry.
When you experience stage fright, you have emotional reactions that result in a variety of defenses to protect you from your anxiety. Some may be helpful. Others not. Your mind tries to protect you from anxiety. But it is up to you to determine the most adaptive way to use your mental strategies.
Below is a list of a few defensive maneuvers that your mind may employ (consciously and unconsciously) when you experience stage fright. See if any apply to you. Remember there are no "right" or "wrong" answers. All the ego defenses listed can be used to help or hinder your efforts to cope with stage fright. Assess your own reactions to the stage fright alphabet.
S omatization: the transfer of anxiety into into physical complaints
T ension: physical and/or mental pressure
A cting out: expressing uncomfortable feelings through behavior rather than talking out feelings and impulses
G randiosity: maintaining a superior, special sense of self while diminishing others
E nvy: resentment for a quality ascribed to another's accomplishment
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F antasy: retreating from reality to try to avoid anxiety provoking feelings and thoughts
R ationalization: making excuses and justifying decisions to block unwanted thoughts and feelings
I ntellectualization: attempts to avoid stress by using reasoning and justifications
G reed: strong desire to possess the talents or possessions of another person
H umor: dealing with uncomfortable feelings through fun and light-heartedness
T hought suppression: pushing uncomfortable thoughts out of one's mind
Julie Jaffee Nagel, Ph.D. is a psychologist-psychoanalyst in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She is a graduate of The Juilliard School with a major in piano performance and a minor in stage fright. She is also a graduate of the University of Michigan and the Michigan Psychoanalytic Institute. Nagel publishes and presents on the topics of performance anxiety and music and emotion. Visit her website at julienagel.net.
