Defense Mechanisms Flashcards
Repression
painful feelings are conscious initially and then forgotten, but return occasionally. Repression can range from momentarily memory lapses to forgetting the details of a catastrophe event
Denial
unpleasant reality is ignored, and a realistic interpretation of potentially threatening events are being replaced by benign but inaccurate ones
Example: a child who is told her parents are divorcing may deny that it is happening or deny when she is upset about it
Suppression
unpleasant feelings are suppressed through a conscious effort to ignore them
Projection
In projection, the undesirable feelings are attributed to another person or persons
Example: an angry person believes others are angry at him/her; a person who is critical of others believes they are critical of him/her.
Displacement
object displacement, anger or other emotion is initially felt toward a person against whom it is unsafe to express it (in children, for example, a parent)
Displacement involves taking
Reaction formation
Involves behavior that is diametrically opposed
Regression
when confronted by stressful events, people sometimes abandon coping strategies, and revert to patterns of behavior
Fixation
People with an oral fixation have problems with drinking, smoking, and nail biting when they are experiencing events
Identification
Taking on the characteristics of someone else
Example: taking on characteristics of someone important, a parent
Rationalization
in an attempt to deny ones true motives
Isolation
It involves compartmentalization one’s experience
Sublimation
involves rechanneling the energy connected with an unacceptable impulse
Compensation
Devoting unusual efforts to achievement in order to overcome feelings of inferiority
A young person becomes physically disabled and com
