common defense mechanisms Flashcards
apathy
indifference/lack of interest or concern
compensation
method of balancing a failure/inadequacy w/ an accomplishment
conversion
transforming an anxiety into a physical symptom w/ no cause
ex. “i get a severe headache whenever i see my ex with his new wife”
denial
avoidance of unpleasant/anxiety-provoking situations and ideas by rejection or ignoring
displacement
redirecting emotions away from the original subject/object onto another less threatening one
ex. getting triggered after dealing w/ a tough patient and taking it out when something doesn’t work out right after
dissociation
disconnecting the emotional importance from ideas/events by compartmentalizing them in diff. parts of awareness
identification
attributing characteristics of someone else to yourself OR imitating those characteristics
intellectualization
analyzing a situation w/ facts instead of emotions
introjection
adopting thoughts/feelings of others
physical avoidance
avoiding people/places/objects that evokes unpleasant memories
projection
transferring unpleasant ideas/emotions onto someone/something else
rationalization
an explanation that makes something negative seem more acceptable
reaction formation
the belief in + expression of the opposite of your true feelings
regression
reversion to an earlier/childlike behavior
repression
eliminating unpleasant emotions/desires/problems from the conscious mind
sarcasm
using words that have the opposite meaning to be funny/insulting/irritating
sublimation
rechanneling unacceptable urges/drives into something constructive/more acceptable
suppression
voluntary blocking out unpleasant experiences from your awareness
undoing
cancelling out unacceptable behaviors w/ a symbolic gesture
ex. “i just got in a fight with my wife so i’ll buy her flowers today”
verbal aggression
verbally attacking someone w/o addressing the original intent of the convo
the grief cycle
- denial
- anger
- bargaining
- depression
- acceptance
