Defense Mechanisms

Question 1

Denial

Answer 1

• the refusal to accept reality or fact, acting as if a painful event, thought or feeling did not exist.

**Example: **a person who is a functioning alcoholic will often simply deny they have a drinking problem, pointing to how well they function in their job and relationships

Question 2

Regression

Answer 2

• the reversion of an earlier stage of development in the face of unacceptable thoughts or impulses

Example: an adolescent who is overwhelmed with fear, anger and growinf sexual impulses might become clingy and start exhibiting earlier childhood behaviours he has long since overcome, such as bedwetting.

Question 3

Projection

Answer 3

• the misattribution of a person’s undesired thoughts, feelings or impulses onto another person who does not have those thoughts, feelings or impulses

Example: a spouse may be angry at their significant other for not listening, when in fact it is the angry spouse that may be angry at their significant other for not listening

Question 4

Reaction Formation

Answer 4

• the converting of unwanted or dangerous thoughts, feelings or impulses into their opposites

Example: a woman who is very anger with her boss and would like to quit her job may instead be overly kind and generous toward her boss and express a desire to keep working there forever.

Question 5

Repression

Answer 5

• the unconscious blocking of unacceptable thoughts, feelings and impulses
• repressing memories that are blocked from access or view
• unconsicously

Question 6

Displacement

Answer 6

• the redirecting of thoughts, feelings and impulses directed to one person or object, but taken out upon another person or object

Example: A man who gets mad at their boss, cant express his anger towards the boss in fear of getting fired. Instead comes home and kicks the dog and starts an argument with his wife

Question 7

Intellectualization

Answer 7

• the overemphasis on thinkinking when comfronted with an unacceptable impulse, situation, or behavior without employing any emotions whatsoever to help mediate and place the thoughts into an emotional, human context.

Example: a person who has just been given a terminal medical diagnosis, instead of expressing their sadness and greif, focuses instead on the details of all possible fuitless medical procedures

Question 8

Rationalization

Answer 8

• putting something into a different light or offering a different explination for one’s perceptions or behaviours in the face of a changing reality

Example: a woman who starts dating a man she really, really likes and thinks the world of is suddnely dumped by the man for no reason

Question 9

Compensation

Answer 9

• a process of psychologically counterbalancing precieved weakness by emphasizing strength in other arenas

**Example: **when a person says, “I may not know how to cook, but I sure do the dishes!”, they’re trying to compensate for their lack of cooking skills by emphisizing their cleaning skills

Question 10

Sympathism

Answer 10

• the individual avoids the necessity of solving his problems by obtaining the sympathy of others

**Example: **telling people your problems without finding a solution, and those people saying sorry to feeling bad for you

Question 11

Emotion Insulation

Answer 11

• redusing ego involvment and withdrawl into passivity to protect self from hurt

**Example: **broke up with a nice guy because of the lack of depth in the relationship