Concept in Definition ABC

Everything that can serve as a measure of safety or protection works as a parapet. Thus, a wall or a railing built to prevent falls is a parapet. The same happens with a wall, a fence or a trench.

A word of military origin that has been adapted to other circumstances

As for the origin of the term, it comes from the Italian word parapetto which, in turn, comes from the expression "parare il petto", which could be translated as protecting the chest. The original parapettos made reference to all those elements of military defense that allowed to protect the soldiers of the attacks of the enemy, especially of the bullets of the cannons. In this sense, the parapet is an element of military protection and the idea expressed by this term has been extended to the architecture wave engineering, because in these areas it is necessary to resort to measures that avoid possible dangers or accidents.

From parapet to parapet

From the noun parapet the verb parapetarse is formed. Thus, if someone protects himself from

rain and it is placed under an awning it is being parapeted, that is, protecting it. Sheltering is synonymous with taking shelter, cover, shelter or entrench yourself.

The action of hiding can be understood in a double sense: as an element of physical protection or as a way to protect oneself psychologically.

How we hide ourselves psychologically

With some frequency we have feelings of fear, we feel vulnerable or we simply do not want others to know something about us. In all these circumstances we need some strategy to serve us as a parapet.

Let's think about using you instead of tuteo. When we turn to you we can do it for education or to establish a certain distance with someone. The fact of resorting to a lie to avoid our responsibility it is also a way of protecting ourselves. Using an excuse for not keeping a commitment is also another way to avoid problems. In short, psychological parapets are mental mechanisms that allow us to better adapt to circumstances.

Sometimes these mechanisms are unconscious and the psychoanalysis he calls them defense mechanisms. Among the defense mechanisms of the unconscious type we can highlight two: denial and projection. We resort to denial when we do not accept something that is painful to us and we use projection when we blame others for our mistakes.

Photos: iStock - Joel Carillet / themacx

Parapet Themes