Adler\u2019s withdrawal safeguarding tendency refers to a psychological defense mechanism where an individual retreats from challenges or difficulties in life to protect their self-esteem and avoid feelings of inferiority. This tendency manifests in various ways, including retreating into isolation or avoidance of responsibility. Adler identified four modes of withdrawal safeguarding: moving backward, standing still, hesitation, and constructing obstacles. Each of these can be compared to instances in Scripture, where similar behaviors of avoidance or retreat can be observed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- Moving Backward<\/strong>: This mode involves regressing to a safer, less challenging state, often seeking comfort in the past. In Scripture, this can be seen in the behavior of Lot’s wife<\/strong> (Genesis 19:26). When warned to flee Sodom and not look back, she still does, showing a retreat into the past rather than moving forward with trust in God\u2019s direction. Her action illustrates a form of retreat from the unknown and a longing for the comfort of what was familiar.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Standing Still<\/strong>: This is the refusal to progress, staying in one place even when action is required. In the Book of Exodus<\/strong>, when the Israelites were at the Red Sea, they stood still, gripped by fear, rather than moving forward (Exodus 14:13-14). Their hesitation is a classic example of standing still due to a lack of faith in God’s promise. God then urged them to move forward, showing how standing still can be a failure to embrace the opportunities ahead.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Hesitation<\/strong>: This involves delay in decision-making, often caused by uncertainty or fear. Moses<\/strong> hesitated when God called him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt (Exodus 3:11-14). Moses’ hesitation in the face of a divine calling illustrates self-doubt and fear of inadequacy, which parallels Adler\u2019s idea of a psychological withdrawal from action due to perceived weakness.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Constructing Obstacles<\/strong>: This refers to creating barriers that prevent progress. An example in Scripture is found in the story of Jonah<\/strong> (Jonah 1). When God commands Jonah to go to Nineveh, he attempts to flee in the opposite direction, creating an obstacle to his mission. Jonah’s resistance to God’s will is a clear example of constructing obstacles, as he physically avoids the task rather than facing it head-on.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
In both Adler\u2019s theory and these Biblical examples, withdrawal is a means of avoiding discomfort or fear but ultimately prevents growth and fulfillment of purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Adler’s withdrawal safeguarding tendency compared to instances of safeguarding found in Scripture – examples using the four modes of withdrawal: moving backward, standing still, hesitation, and constructing obstacles The Correct Answer and Explanation is: Adler\u2019s withdrawal safeguarding tendency refers to a psychological defense mechanism where an individual retreats from challenges or difficulties in life to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-249956","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-exams-certification"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249956","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=249956"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249956\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=249956"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=249956"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=249956"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
- Standing Still<\/strong>: This is the refusal to progress, staying in one place even when action is required. In the Book of Exodus<\/strong>, when the Israelites were at the Red Sea, they stood still, gripped by fear, rather than moving forward (Exodus 14:13-14). Their hesitation is a classic example of standing still due to a lack of faith in God’s promise. God then urged them to move forward, showing how standing still can be a failure to embrace the opportunities ahead.<\/li>\n\n\n\n