Defense Mechanisms Flashcards
acting out
emotional conflict is dealt with through actions rather than feelings –i.e. instead of talking about feeling neglected, may get in trouble to get attention
compensation
enables one to make up for real or fancied deficiencies
-i.e. a person who shutters becomes a very expressive writer
conversion
repressed urge is expressed as a disturbance of body function, usually of the sensory, voluntary nervous system (pain, deafness, blindness, paralysis, convulsions, tics)
ex: Someone experiencing anxiety over a job interview might develop stomach cramps or nausea leading up to the interview.
decompensation
when someone can no longer cope with stress or maintain their normal mental functions. leads to worsening symptoms
denial
inability to acknowledge true significance of thoughts, feelings wishes behavior, or external reality factors that are consciously intolerable
devaluation
person attributes exaggerated negative qualities to self or another
-used frequently by people with borderline personality disorder
dissociation
a process that enables a person to split mental functions in a manner that allows the expression of forbidden or unconscious impulses without taking responsibility for the action, either because the person is unable to remember the disowned behavior, or because it is not experienced
displacement
directing an impulse, wish, feeling toward a person or situation that is not its real object, thus permitting expression in a less threatening situation (involves 3 people)
-a man who is angry at his boss kicks his dog
idealization
exaggerating the positive qualities of someone or something while minimizing the negative
identification
unconsciously adopting the characteristics, behaviors, or attributes of another person, often someone admired with the desire to be like them
- Ex: a child imitating their parent’s mannerisms
- plays a major role in personality development, especially superego development
identification with aggressor
mastering anxiety by identifying with a powerful aggressor (such as an abusive parent) to counteract feelings of helplessness and to feel powerful oneself
-usually involves behaving like the aggressor (i.e. abusing others after one has been abused oneself)
incorporation
primative mechanism in which psychic representation od a person is (or parts of a person are) figuratively ingested
- oral stage for infants - oneness with mother
inhibition
loss of motivation to engage in (usually pleasurable) activity avoided because it might stir up conflict over forbidden impulses
- ex: due to forbidden sexual desires, may avoid getting into a relationship
introjection
an individual mentally internalizes or “takes in” aspects of another person or object, making them part of their own self-perception or identity
- ex: parent’s criticizing child for mistakes and child begins to turn hatred toward himself for making mistakes. a child unconsciously adopting their parent’s perfectionistic standards, internalizing them as their own and striving for flawless performance, not realizing they are coming from his parents.
intellectualization
when the person avoids uncomfortable emotions by focusing on facts and logic
-emotional aspects are completely ignored
isolation of affect
unacceptable impulse, idea, or act is separated from its original memory source, thereby removing the original emotional charge associated
A medical student dissects a cadaver without being disturbed by thoughts of death
projection
attributing one’s own unacceptable thoughts, feelings, or motives to another person, effectively avoiding confronting those uncomfortable aspects of oneself (involves 2 people)
ex: Someone who is feeling guilty about their dishonesty might accuse others of lying
projective identification
unconsciously perceiving others’ behavior as a reflection of one’s own identity
-common in BPD
rationalization
giving believable explanation for irrational behavior; motivated by acceptable unconscious wishes or by defenses used to cope with such wishes
- not unconscious
- A student who fails an exam might rationalize by saying, “The test was unfair,” instead of admitting they didn’t study properly.
reaction formation
adapting affects, ideas, attitudes, or behaviors that are opposites of the harbored consciously or unconsciously
-ex: being extremely nice to mask anger
regression
partial or symbolic return to more infantile patterns of reacting or thinking
-ex: extreme dependency during illness
repression
expressed clinically by amnesia or symptomatic forgetting serving to banish unacceptable ideas, fantasies, affects or impulses from consciousness
splitting
person perceives self and others as all good or all bad, cannot integrate the good and the bad in a person
-serves to protect the good object
-seen in people with BPD
sublimation
potentially maladaptive feelings or behaviors are diverted into socially acceptable, adaptive channels
-ex: channeling anger into athletics
substitution
unattainable or unacceptable goal, emotion, or object is replaced by one more attainable or acceptable
symbolization
a mental representation stands for some other thing, class of things, or attribute
- usually unconscious
- A client unconsciously wears red clothing due to a repressed impulse to physically harm someone
turning against self
deflect hostile aggression or other unacceptable impulses from another to self
- A child who feels abused by their parents might internalize the blame and believe they are bad or unworthy, rather than acknowledging the parents’ abusive behavior.
undoing
using words or actions to symbolically reverse or negate unacceptable thoughts, feelings, or actions
-ex: compulsively washing hands to deal with obsessive thoughts
