Defense Mechanisms

Question 1

Performing an extreme behavior in order to express thoughts or feelings the person is incapable of otherwise expressing
Behavior acts as a pressure release and often helps the person feel calmer and peaceful
Self-injury may allow expression in physical pain of what one cannot stand to feel emotionally

Answer 1

acting out

Question 2

Tendency to see in the external world or people aspects of one’s own personality, feelings, or impulses- often those that are perceived as negative
May be accurate or inaccurate and might lead to significant misunderstandings

Answer 2

externalization

Question 3

Channeling of unacceptable or unattainable desires into imagination
Escaping mundane or distressing reality by exploring alternative but unrealistic situations
Can lead to losing touch with reality and prevent viable actions to improve the situation

Answer 3

fantasy

Question 4

Creation of an ideal impression of a person, place, or object by emphasizing their positive qualities and neglecting those that are negative
Adjusting the way in which the world is perceived can lead to poor judgement

Answer 4

idealization

Question 5

Belief that the source of everything that happens is oneself
Lack of recognition of the separate existence of others with a will different from one’s own
Might affect formation of realistic causal relationships

Answer 5

omnipotent control

Question 6

Energy remaining after a display of unacceptable aggression is suppressed is released as being uncooperative, or ignoring others

Answer 6

passive aggression

Question 7

Misattribution of a person’s undesired thoughts, feelings, or impulses onto another person who does not have those thoughts, feelings or impulses
Used when thoughts are considered unacceptable for the person to express
Results from lack of insight and acknowledgment of one’s own motivations and feelings

Answer 7

projection

Question 8

Identifying with impulses projected onto oneself by another

Experience of unacceptable impulses transferred to one individual from another

Answer 8

projective identification

Question 9

Representing conflicts as physical symptoms

Answer 9

somatization

Question 10

Refusal to accept reality or fact
Acting as if a painful event, thought, or feeling did not exist
Characteristic of early childhood development

Answer 10

denial

Question 11

Gross reshaping of external reality to meet internal needs

Answer 11

distortion

Question 12

Ego attempts to reconcile multiple aspects or rationales but resorts to understanding the world in black and white terms
Taking the either-or approach when evaluating the world
Good versus bad approach in relationships

Answer 12

splitting

Question 13

Redirection of thoughts, feelings, and impulses directed at one person or object but taken out on another person or object
Used when feelings cannot be expressed safely to the person they are directed at
Feelings are expressed but their misapplication often causes additional problems

Answer 13

displacement

Question 14

Loss of time and/or person (usual thought processes and memories)
Finding another representation of self in order to continue in the moment
Disconnected view of oneself in the world, living in a different world that is not affected by thoughts, feelings, or memories that are unbearable
Associated with childhood abuse

Answer 14

dissociation

Question 15

Transformation of negative feelings towards others into negative feelings toward self, pain, illness, and anxiety

Answer 15

hypochondriasis

Question 16

Overemphasis on thinking when confronted with an unacceptable impulse, situation, or behavior without employing any emotions to help mediate and contextualize the thoughts
Employed to distance oneself from the impulse, events, or behavior

Answer 16

intellectualization

Question 17

Separating ideas or feelings from other thoughts

Attempt to protect the ego from anxiety caused by a specific situation

Answer 17

isolation

Question 18

Offering an alternative explanation for one’s perceptions or behaviors in the face of a changing reality

Answer 18

rationalization

Question 19

Conversion of unwanted or dangerous thoughts, feelings, or impulses into their opposites
Incapability of expressing the negative emotions leads to expression of positive emotions in their stead

Answer 19

reaction formation

Question 20

Reversion to an earlier stage of development in the face of unacceptable thoughts or impulses

Answer 20

regression

Question 21

Attempt to take back an unconscious behavior or thought that is unacceptable or hurtful
Attempt to counteract previous damage in the hope that the two actions will balance one another

Answer 21

undoing

Question 22

Act of goodwill towards another person can be used as a way of diffusing a potentially anxious situation
Helping a person an individual does not particularly like, neutralizing an argument with positivity

Answer 22

altruism

Question 23

Planning for/rehearsing possible outcomes of a stressful event in one’s mind or telling oneself that it will not be as bad as imagined

Answer 23

anticipation

Question 24

Channeling of unacceptable impulses or thoughts into a light-hearted story or joke
Reduces the intensity of a situation and places a cushion of laughter between the person and the impulses

Answer 24

humor

Question 25

Adoption of social norms and attitudes of others from whom one seeks acceptance in order to avoid rejection

Answer 25

identification

Question 26

Adoption of environmental stimuli and conversion of stimuli into one’s own ideas
Internalizing criticism, religious ideas, political opinions, mannerisms

Answer 26

introjection

Question 27

Channeling of unacceptable impulses, thoughts, and emotions into more acceptable ones
Refocusing an unacceptable or harmful impulse into a productive one helps channel energy that otherwise would be lost or used in a manner that might cause more anxiety

Answer 27

sublimation

Question 28

Occurs consciously, one might be entirely aware of attempts not to think about a memory or feeling
Attempt to preoccupy oneself with other unrelated thoughts or tasks

Answer 28

supression