Final answer:
A technique used to manage conflicts within the personality is a defense mechanism, which is an unconscious strategy employed by the ego to reduce anxiety by distorting reality. It is not to be confused with a Freudian slip, a fixation, or the Electra complex, which are different concepts within Freudian theory.
Step-by-step explanation:
A Technique Used to Manage Conflicts Between Parts of the Personality
The technique used to manage conflicts between parts of the personality is known as a defense mechanism. Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalytic theory, suggested that personality develops through the resolution of conflicts between the pleasure-seeking drives (the id), and the socialized internal controls (the superego). When these two forces are in conflict, the ego, which tries to balance the two, may feel overwhelmed, leading to anxiety. In response, the unconscious mind employs various defense mechanisms to protect the ego and reduce anxiety by distorting reality in different ways.
Freudian slips, fixations, and the Electra complex are different concepts within Freudian theory. A Freudian slip is an unintentional error regarded as revealing subconscious feelings, whereas a fixation refers to the persistent focus on an earlier psychosexual stage, leading to behaviors associated with that stage. The Electra complex, proposed by Carl Jung though widely attributed to Freudian theory, describes a girl's psychosexual competition with her mother for her father's attention. Unlike these concepts, defense mechanisms are specifically designed to manage internal conflicts within the personality by unconsciously altering one's perception of reality.
Examples of defense mechanisms include reaction formation, where someone expresses the opposite of their real feelings or desires; regression, reverting to behaviors of an earlier developmental stage; and projection, attributing one's own unacceptable desires to another person. Other mechanisms include rationalization, displacement, and sublimation. While everyone uses defense mechanisms, Freud believed that overuse can lead to negative consequences.