Defense Mechanisms Flashcards
Altruism
Dealing with Stress/anxiety by helping others
Sublimation
Substitute negative impulses into acceptable forms of expression
(Ex: working out hard at the gym.)
Supression
VOLUNTARY denial of unpleasant thoughts or feelings
Repression
UNCONSCIOUS denial of unpleasant thoughts or feelings.
Regression
Reverting back to childlike behaviors that are inappropriate for the patient’s current development level.
Displacement
Redirecting feelings about a person or situation towards a less threatening object/person (ex: dad loses his job, destroys his Childs toy)
Reaction Formation
Demonstrating the opposite behavior vs. what is actually felt (ex. “I love nursing exams.”)
Undoing
Performing an act to make up for a previous behavior (ex: bringing home flowers after domestic abuse).
Rationalization
Creating an acceptable excuse for unacceptable behavior
Dissociation
Temporary compartmentalization of feelings/thoughts
(ex: forgetting who you are during sexual assault).
Denial
Pretending truth is not reality
Compensation
Emphasizing strengths to make up for weaknesses
(ex: physically disabled person excels academically)
Identification
Adopting the characteristics of another individual or group
Intellectualization
Separation of feelings/emotions from logical facts to facilitate coping
Conversion
Unconscious development of physical symptoms as a response to stress
