There are two types of Armoring:
- Natural, temporary muscular contraction
- Permanent, chronic muscular contraction
Natural Temporary Armoring occurs in amoeba (as they withdraw from painful stimuli) and any animal when it is threatened, but goes away when the threat is gone.
Permanent, Chronic Armoring also starts with a threat, but because of continued threats is maintained and becomes chronic. It then remains when the threat is gone, reacting to permanent inner dangers rather than external threats in the environment. Often, the adult sustains this chronic, unconscious habitual defense to a childhood threat that has long been gone.
Armor includes contraction of all tissues, but primarily the muscles. Armoring is caused by the necessity of the child to conform to unnatural attitudes and training conditions of the parents. The muscular contraction allows the child to hold back it's desires. Armored parents raise armored children. Pleasurable situations yield decreased armoring. Painful stimuli yield increased armoring. The specific type of armor reinforced determines the specific type of character that develops. Therefore, it can be referred to as character armor.
With severe armoring, one only tolerates contraction, and experiences terror when significant expansion and movement occur. This terror around loss of control Reich called the "terror of being".
READ MORE:
LIST OF THE ABC'S OF EGO DEFENSIVE STRUCTURES:
ARMORING
BLOCKS
CHARACTEROLOGY
