Defense Mechanisms Flashcards
What is Denial?
The refusal to accept the reality of unfortunate circumstances.
What is projection?
Is when someone attributes their own thoughts, feelings, or impulses to another person.
What is Rationalization?
Involves coming up with logical sounding explanations to justify thoughts and feelings that might otherwise be unacceptable.
What is Regression?
When someone reverts to an earlier stage of behavior/development in response to anxiety.
What is displacement?
Involves redirecting your emotions, impulses, desires from their original source, toward a less threatening target.
What is sublimation?
sublimation occurs when someone channels unacceptable urges and impulses into pursuits like becoming boxer to channel the aggression.
What is intellectualization?
Involves distancing oneself from negative emotions by focusing excessively on abstract thoughts or concepts.
What is compensation?
Involves an individual making up for perceived weakness in one area of their life by excelling in another.
What is Reaction Formation?
Involves expressing the opposite of one’s feelings as a way to cope to anxiety.
What is suppression?
Involves consciously pushing unwanted thoughts and feelings out of awareness.
What is avoidance?
Involves a person avoiding situations, people, or thoughts that trigger unpleasant emotions or memories.
What is Humor?
Involves using laughter or comedy to cope with stress, anxiety, or difficult situations.
What is Fantasy?
Involves escaping reality by imagining idealized scenarios or outcomes.
What is selective attention?
Involves only focusing on certain aspects while ignoring others, especially those that are distressing or threatening.
What is Disassociation?
Involves a disruption in consciousness, memory, identity, or perception of the environment as response to overwhelming stress or trauma.
