Defence mechanisms Flashcards
Repression
Unconcious blocking of unacceptable impulses.
Forgetting childhood sexual abuse.
Denial
Refusing to percieve an unpleasant reality
Alcoholics refuse to admit their addiction.
Reaction
exaggerate the opposite emotion.
Being dominant and loud when you are insecure.
Projection
Unacceptable motives or impulses are transferred to others.
Not admitting to yourself that you find someone else attractive while becoming unreasonable jealous of your mate.
Displacement
An unnaceptable impulse is repressed, then directed at a safe target.
A man mad at his boss yells at his wife.
Intellectualisation
Using logic to convince oneself that there isn’t a problem.
Smokers.
Rationalization
Socially acceptable reasons are given for unacceotable motives.
“Everyone does it.”
Regression
Respond to a threatening situation in a way appropiate to an earlier age.
Ice hockey.
Sublimation
Using the energy of negative emotions to achieve something positive.
Rechannel sexual desires into art, music, sports.
