Defense mechanisms Flashcards
Painful feelings are conscious initially and then forgotten, but return occasionally
ex. forgetting the details of a really bad car accident
Repression
Unpleasant reality is ignored
Ex. A child who is told that her parents are divorcing may deny that it is happening or deny that she is upset about it
Denial
Unpleasant feelings are suppressed through a conscious effort to ignore them
Ex. Fears can be replaced by thinking of a happy place, time, or event
Suppression
The undesirable feelings are attributed to another person or persons
Ex. People think that someone hates them when they actually don’t
Projection
Anger or another emotion is initially felt toward a person against whom it is unsafe to express it
Ex. Involves taking out our frustrations feelings and impulses on people or objects that are less threatening
Displacement
Involves behavior that is diametrically opposed to the impulses or feelings that one is repressing
Ex. Treating someone you strongly dislike in an excessively friendly manner in order to hide your true feelings
Reaction formation
When confronted by stressful events, people sometimes abandon coping strategies and revert to patterns of behavior used earlier in development
Regression
People with an oral fixation have problems with drinking, smoking, and nail biting when they are experiencing stressful events
Fixation
Taking on the characteristics of someone else
Ex. Taking on characteristics of someone important- parent, sports, celebrity, etc.
Identification
An attempt to deny one’s true motive by using a reason that is more logical or socially acceptable than one’s own reasons
Ex. If a person says “I don’t care if I wasn’t chosen for team; I didn’t really want to play soccer anyway”
Rationalization
Hide feelings
Ex. Reading about the grieving process after a parents death
Isolation
Ex. Channeling aggressive tendencies into playing contact sports
Sublimation
Devoting unusual efforts to achievement in order to overcome feelings of inferiority
Ex.A young person becomes physically disabled and compensates by working hard academically and becomes a doctor
Compensation
