Defense Mechanisms Flashcards
What is the purpose of defense mechanisms?
To preserve self-cohesion, self-esteem/self-image, & relational ties (manage relational conflicts).
Help reduce or avoid conscious or unconscious stress.
Meant to be protective.
Keep emotions w/i bearable limits in the midst of emotional crises.
Postpone or channel surges in biological drives (aggressive or sexual).
What are defense mechanisms?
Patterned thoughts, feelings, or behaviors that arise in response to external (unacceptable realities) or internal threats.
Which defense mechanism is almost never adaptive?
Projection
Which defense mechanism is almost always adaptive?
Sublimation
Which DM category does regression, fixation, identification, projection, splitting & dissociation fall into?
Immature.
Which DM category does repression, rationalization, isolation, intellectualization, displacement, somatization fall into?
Neurotic
Which DM category do ppl w/ personality disorders employ?
Immature.
Which DM category do humor, altruism, sublimation, and suppression fall into?
Mature
Which DM category does suppression fall into?
Mature
Which DM category does somatization fall into?
Neurotic
Which DM category does displacement fall into?
Neurotic
Which DM categories do repression & regression fall into?
Repression–Neurotic
Regression–Immature
What are you doing to a patient if you deny or disparage their projection?
You are denying a part of them.
You are attacking them.
Which DM deals with internal realities? External realities?
Internal–repression
External–denial
When a child throws a temper tantrum–that is ______?
When a sociopath murders someone–that is _______?
Acting Up
Acting Out
What is splitting? Which DM is this?
Where you oscillate b/w idealizing somone & hating them.
Immature.
What is usu the most effective way to breach immature DMs?
Not invitation, but CONFRONTATION. And group help.
When is regression healthy?
When you have a terminal illness–it is a part of the process of letting go.
What DM is this? Note: sometimes associated w/ chronic pain.
Coping by going back to a previous level of development.
Regression
What is Donald Trump an example of? Which DM category?
Fixation.
Tries to meet their need for recognition, attention & affirmation.
Requires empathy.
Immature DM.
What DM is Stockholm’s Syndrome an example of? What are other examples of this DM? Which DM category?
Identification. Immature DM.
Wearing dead dad’s watch.
Feeling dead spouse’s disease symptoms.
Which DM is common in PTSD or when getting a diagnosis of a terminal illness? Which DM category?
Dissociation.
Total change in perception.
Immature.
What is it called when a man suddenly wakes up one day & realizes that he resents his wife?
Which DM category?
Repression
Intermediate/Neurotic
What is it called when you go over a social misstep over & over in your head w/ a different outcome? It is associated w/ OCD. Which DM category?
Undoing
Intermediate or Neurotic.
