Defense Mechanisms Flashcards
An unconscious mechanism employed by the ego to keep disturbing or threatening thoughts from becoming conscious.
Repression
This involves blocking external events from awareness. If some situation is just too much to handle, the person just refuses to experience it.
Denial
This involves individuals attributing their own unacceptable thoughts, feelings, and motives to another person.
Projection
This is satisfying an impulse (E.G., aggression) with a substitute object.
Displacement
Resuming behaviors associated with an earlier developmental stage/level of functioning to avoid present anger, anxiety, etc.
Regression
Satisfying an impulse (e.g., Aggression) with a substitute object in a socially acceptable way.
Sublimation
This involves keeping certain impulses out of awareness by replacing the unwanted impulse with its opposite.
Reaction formation
This involves the use of convincing reasons to justify certain ideas, feelings, or actions so as to avoid recognizing their true and unrelated “motive, which is unacceptable.
Rationalization
This is a characteristic of borderline conditions and involves the keeping apart of two contradictory ego states such as Love and hate
Splitting
This is when intolerable impulses or conflicts are converted into physical symptoms
Somatization
This involves symbolically nullifying or voiding unacceptable provoking acts, thoughts, or feelings. Or nullifying an undesired impulse with an act of reparation.
Undoing
Taking characteristics or emotions felt onto oneself to avoid conflict.
Or involves taking another person into the self, psychologically speaking, in order to avoid the direct expression of powerful emotions such as love or hate. 
This occurs when a person internalizes the ideas or voices of other people-often external authorities.
Introjection
Avoiding emotions by talking about them rather than experiencing them directly
Intellectualization
This is a general mechanism for the process of turning a feeling or attitude into its opposite
Reversal
This involves obtaining satisfaction through self – sacrificing service to others or through participation and causes as a way of dealing with unacceptable feelings and conflicts
Altruism
Consciously experiencing emotions when it is “safe” rather than when it was first unconsciously experienced
Isolation of affect
The overvaluing of, for example, person, place, family, or activity beyond what is realistic to protect the individual from anxiety associated with aggressive or competitive feelings toward a loved or feared one
Idealization
This tries to make up for what they perceive as deficits or deficiencies
Compensation
This involves the moral renunciation of certain pleasures in order to avoid anxiety and conflict associated with impulse gratification
Asceticism
Example, a person never stops ranting about the dangers of pornography. He gives endless examples of smut he has seen in movies and on television, and spends a lot of time hanging around porno houses to get even more examples.
Reaction Formation
Example: during the Oedipus complex aggressive thoughts about the same sex parent are suppressed
Repression
For example, smokers may refuse to admit to themselves that smoking is bad for their health.
Denial
Example: you might hate someone, but your super ego tells you that such hatred is unacceptable. You can “solve” the problem by believing that they hate you.
Projection
Example: someone who is frustrated by their boss at work may go home and kick the dog.
Displacement
Example: a child may begin to suck their thumb again or wet the bed when they need to spend some time in the hospital
Regression
Example: sports is an example of putting our emotions, like aggression, into something constructive.
Sublimation
An example of this might be a dad telling his son “boys don’t cry” and the child internalizing that belief
Introjection
