Adaptive and Maladaptive Use of Defense Mechanisms Flashcards
Which two defence mechanisms are always healthy?
altruism and sublimation
What is altruism?
Dedicating oneself to meeting the needs of others as a means of diffusing potentially anxious situations.
What is compensation?
Use to make up for perceived deficiencies and to cover up shortcomings related to these deficiencies to protext the conscious mind from recognizing them.
What is conversion?
The unconscious transformation of anxiety into a physical syptom with no organic cause. Often the symptom functions to gain attention or to provide an excuse.
What is denial?
Involves escaping unpleasant, anxiety-causing thoughts, feelings, wishes, or needs by ignoring their existence.
What is displacement?
The transference of emotions associated with a particular person, object, or situation to another nonthreatening person, object, or situation.
What is disassociation?
A disruption in the usually integrated functions of consciousness, memory, identity, or perception of the environment. It may result in a separation between feeling and thought.
What is identification?
Attributing to oneself the characteristics of another person or group, which may be done consciously or unconsciously.
What is intellectualization?
Process of analyzing events based on remote, cold facts, rather than incorporating feeling into in the processing
What is introjection?
Process by which the outside world is incorporated or absorbed into a person’s view of the self.
What is projection?
Refers to the unconscious rejection of emotionally unacceptable features and the transfer of them onto other people, objects, or situations.
What is rationalization?
Justifying illogical or unreasonable ideas, actions, or feelings by developing acceptable explanations that satisfy the teller as well as the listener.
What is reaction formation?
Occurs when unacceptable feelings or behaviours are controlled and kept outside of awareness by developing the opposite behaviour or emotion.
What is regression?
The reversion to an earlier, more primitive, and childlike pattern of behaviour that may or may not have been previously exhibited.
What is repression?
First-line psychological defence against anxiety. It is the unconscious temporary or long-term exclusion of unpleasant or unwanted experiences, emotions, or ideas from conscious awareness.
