defence mechanism

Question 1

attributing unwanted feelings or emotions to someone else

Answer 1

projection

Question 2

explaining questionable behavior or uncomfortable feelings in a seemingly logical way to avoid any true explanation

Answer 2

rationalization

Question 3

pushing painful or upsetting feelings or thoughts into the unconscious

Answer 3

repression

Question 4

retreating to an earlier stage of development rather than handling unpleasant situations in a more adult way

Answer 4

regression

Question 5

ignoring a painful reality and pretending it doesn’t exist

Answer 5

denial

Question 6

transforming negative impulses into socially acceptable actions or behavior

Answer 6

sublimation

Question 7

behaving in the opposite way to one’s real thoughts or feelings

Answer 7

reaction formation

Question 8

covering up one’s inadequacies (imperfections) in one area by overachieving in another

Answer 8

overcompensation

Question 9

distancing oneself from disturbing emotions by focusing on facts and logic

Answer 9

intellectualisation

Question 10

retreating into one’s imagination as a way of coping with stressful situations

Answer 10

fantasy

Question 11

experiencing traumatic events without emotions associated with them

Answer 11

isolation of affect

Question 12

shifting negative emotions from their original object to a substitute, less threatening target in order to revile tension

Answer 12

displacement