Defense Mechanisms Flashcards
Rationalization
-Plausible reasons justify action or opinion
-Blame external circumstances
EX: Can’t go to gym, have to pick up kids
EX: Didn’t get hired, be better off at different company
EX: Mother hitting children because husband hits her
Repression
-Refuses to let into awareness unacceptable thoughts, feelings, emotions but remains unconscious in behavior
EX: Boy afraid of dogs but not sure why
EX: Feeling sexually attracted to same sex, push away thought but later dream of it
Displacement
-Affect transferred from one object to another
EX: Husband yelling at wife b/c he can’t yell at boss
EX: Compulsively washing hands after being shamed from masturbating
EX: Eating lollipops after quitting smoking
Identification
-Qualities of an external object are absorbed into one’s personality
EX: Bruce Lee fan becoming martial arts champion
EX: Kid becoming lawyer just like father
Intellectualization
-Content separated from repressed affect
EX: Person diagnosed with bipolar learns about symptoms instead of expressing emotions
EX: Person speaking about their trauma like reading off a script
Asceticism
-Rigor and self denial
EX: Adult refuses to eat/sleep until work is completed
EX: Kid refuses to engage in sexual pleasure to cope w/ sexual tension
Reaction Formation
-Unacceptable impulses are expressed as their opposites
EX: Angry employee being overly nice to boss
EX: Gay man openly dates women and criticizes gay men
EX: Parent w/ unwanted child being overly protective
Introjection/Internalization
-Taking in or swallowing whole a characteristic or trait of another person or outside event
EX: Standing up to bully by being strong like my father
EX: Putting on seat belt before driving car
Projection
-Places unacceptable feelings from one person to another
EX: Wife is unfaithful but accuses husband of cheating
EX: Person complaining no one likes him but he hates himself
EX: Highly anxious coworker complains about another coworker’s anxiety
Denial
-Distorts reality & does not acknowledge emotion/events
EX: Person eating unhealthy despite doctor telling him to stop
EX: Alcoholic in programming continuing to drink
Sublimation
-Displaces unacceptable instincts for socially acceptable behaviors
EX: Person w/ aggression taking up kickboxing
EX: Person w/ MDD taking dance to stop SI
Undoing
-Avoid being punished for undesirable thoughts or actions
EX: Person overly nice to someone they just insulted in their mind
EX: Kids gets into argument with parents but then cleans room without being asked
EX: Husband cheats, buys gifts for wife
Primitive Defenses
Out of touch with reality
-Denial, Reaction formation, Projection
