Defense Mechanisms

Question 1

Words or behavior designed to negate/make amends symbolically for unacceptable thoughts, feelings, or actions (something we’re embarrassed about)

Answer 1

Undoing

Question 2

Intentionally avoiding thinking about disturbing problems, wishes, feelings, or experiences; suppressing emotions to focus on one thing

Answer 2

Suppression

Question 3

Channeling potentially maladaptive feelings or impulses into socially acceptable behavior; learn to release maladaptive impulses/emotions in a socially acceptable way

Answer 3

Sublimation

Question 4

Compartmentalizing opposite affect states and failing to integrate the positive and negative qualities of the self or others into cohesive images; compartmentalize things fueled by anxiety

Answer 4

Splitting

Question 5

Expelling disturbing wishes, thoughts, or experiences from conscious awareness (the feeling component may remain conscious, detached from its associated ideas)

Answer 5

Repression

Question 6

Substituting behavior, thoughts, or feelings that are diametrically opposed to one’s own unacceptable thoughts or feelings (this usually occurs in conjunction with their repression)

Answer 6

Reaction Formation

Question 7

Concealing the true motivations for one’s own thoughts, actions, or feelings through the elaboration of reassuring or self-serving but incorrect explanations; people justify what they do wrong and blame others

Answer 7

Rationalization

Question 8

Indirectly and unassertively expressing aggression toward others. There is a facade of overt compliance masking covert resistance, resentment, or hostility; not being real or assertive

Answer 8

Passive Agressive

Question 9

Separation of ideas from the feelings originally associated with them

Answer 9

Isolation (of affect)

Question 10

Attributing exaggerated positive qualities to others; putting someone on a pedestal, thinking they’re perfect, which sets the relationship up for failure

Answer 10

Idealization

Question 11

Emphasizing the amusing or ironic aspects of the conflict or stressor

Answer 11

Humor

Question 12

Experiencing a breakdown in the usually integrated functions of consciousness, memory, perception of self or the environment, or sensory and motor behavior

Answer 12

Dissociation

Question 13

Falsely attributing to another one’s own unacceptable feelings, impulses, or thoughts

Answer 13

Projection

Question 14

Attributing exaggerated negative qualities to self or others; embarrassed by their outcome, individual attributes negative quality to themselves or others

Answer 14

Devaluation

Question 15

Transferring a feeling about, or a response to, one object onto another (usually less threatening) substitute object; person yelled at by authority but they take it out on other(s)

Answer 15

Displacement

Question 16

Using actions rather than reflections or feelings during periods of emotional conflict; lashing out due to emotions

Answer 16

Acting Out

Question 17

Dedicating life to meeting the needs of others (receives gratification either vicariously or from the response of others); this behavior is not healthy if own trauma/behavior is not dealt with

Answer 17

Altruism

Question 18

Excessive daydreaming as a substitute for human relationships, more effective action, or problem-solving; excessive daydreaming to escape reality

Answer 18

Autistic Fantasy

Question 19

Refusing to acknowledge some painful aspect of external reality or subjective experience that would be apparent to others; this behavior will affect daily life

Answer 19

Denial

Question 20

Example: A teenager gets mad at his parents and begins staying out late at night.

Answer 20

Acting out

Question 21

Example: After being rejected by her boyfriend, a young girl joins the Peace Corps.

Answer 21

Altruism

Question 22

Example: A young man sits in his room all day and dreams about being a rock star instead of attending a baseball game with a friend.

Answer 22

Autistic Fantasy

Question 23

Example: A teenager’s best friend moves away, but the adolescent says he does not feel sad.

Answer 23

Denial

Question 24

Ex: A boy has been rejected by his long-time girlfriend. He tells his friends that he realizes that she is stupid and ugly.

Answer 24

Devaluation

Question 25

Example: A child is mad at her mother for leaving for the day but says she is really mad at the sitter for serving her food she does not like.

Answer 25

Displacement

Question 26

Example: A client is angry at his physician, does not express it, but becomes verbally abusive with the nurse.

Answer 26

Displacement

Question 27

Example: An adult relates severe sexual abuse experienced as a child but does it without feeling. She says that the experience was as if she were outside her body watching the abuse.

Answer 27

Dissociation

Question 28

Example: Sue’s nurse manager has been professional in his relationships with Sue and the other nurses. Sue feels a strong sexual attraction to him and tells another nurse, “He’s coming on to me!”

Answer 28

Projection

Question 29

Example: Joe is nervous about his new nursing job and yells at his girlfriend. On his way home from the hospital he stops and buys her some flowers and himself a new video game.

Answer 29

Undoing

Question 30

Example: A man has sexual fantasies about his wife’s sister. He takes his wife away for a romantic weekend.

Answer 30

Undoing

Question 31

Example: John is on the inpatient unit and approaches the day nurse and says, “I’m so glad you are here; the night nurse is a terrible nurse. Last night he wouldn’t even call my doctor to get me more pain medication.”

Answer 31

Splitting

Question 32

Example: One friend is wonderful and another former friend, who was at one time viewed as being perfect, is now believed to be an evil person.

Answer 32

Splitting

Question 33

Example: A person makes a joke right after experiencing an embarrassing situation.

Answer 33

Humor

Question 34

Example: An adult falls in love and fails to see the negative qualities in the other person.

Answer 34

Idealization

Question 35

Example: A new nurse is very thankful for his mentor helping him adjust to his new job. The mentor has been encouraging and gone out of his way to answer questions and help the new nurse feel comfortable. The mentor makes a medication error in front of the new nurse and does not report the error. The new nurse recognizes that everyone makes mistakes and since it did not harm the patient, is not concerned about the mentor’s behavior.

Answer 35

Idealization

Question 36

Example: The individual loses touch with the feelings associated with a rape while remaining aware of the details.

Answer 36

Isolation (of affect)

Question 37

Example: One employee doesn’t like another, so he secretly steals her milk from the office refrigerator. She is unaware of his hostile feelings.

Answer 37

Passive aggression

Question 38

Example: A child is very angry at a parent but accuses the parent of being angry.

Answer 38

Projection

Question 39

Example: A mother whose son is killed by a drunk driver channels her anger and energy into becoming the president of the local chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Drivers.

Answer 39

Sublimation

Question 40

Example: A man is rejected by his girlfriend but explains to his friends that her leaving was best because she was beneath him socially and would not be liked by his family.

Answer 40

Rationalization

Question 41

Example: A wife finds out about her husband’s extramarital affairs and tells her friends that she thinks his affairs are perfectly appropriate. She truly does not feel, on a conscious level, any anger or hurt.

Answer 41

Reaction Formation

Question 42

Example: A woman does not remember the experience of being raped in the basement but does feel anxious when going into that house.

Answer 42

Repression

Question 43

Example: An adolescent boy is very angry with his parents. On the football field, he tackles someone very forcefully.

Answer 43

Sublimation

Question 44

Example: A student is anxiously awaiting test results but goes to a movie to stop thinking about it.

Answer 44

Suppression

Question 45

Example: Sally, a nursing student, has worked hard to make a good grade on her nursing exam. She fails the exam but tells her classmate, “The instructor wrote a terrible test and it doesn’t matter if I fail out of school”.

Answer 45

Devaluation

Question 46

Example: A married nurse is attracted to the physician that she works with at the hospital. At a recent hospital meeting, she is very rude to the physician.

Answer 46

Reaction Formation