Defense Mechanisms Flashcards
Denial
Avoidance of unpleasant realities by unconsciously ignoring their existence
Refusal to admit or recognize that something has occurred or is currently occurring
Projection
Unconscious rejection of emotionally unacceptable personal attributes, beliefs, or actions by attributing them to other people, situations, or events
Taking one’s own unacceptable qualities or feelings and attributing them to another
Regression
Return to more comfortable thoughts, behaviors, or feelings used in earlier stages of development in response to current conflict, stress, or threat
Reverting to patterns of behavior from an earlier stage of development in order to cope with stressful events
Repression
Unconscious exclusion of unwanted, disturbing emotions, thoughts, or impulses from conscious awareness Keeps information (negative) out of conscious awareness
Reaction Formation
Often called overcompensation; unacceptable feelings, thoughts, or behaviors are pushed from conscious awareness by displaying and acting on the opposite feeling, thought, or behavior
Taking up the opposite feeling, impulse or behavior in order to reduce anxiety
Rationalization
Justification of illogical, unreasonable ideas, feelings, or actions by developing an acceptable explanation that satisfies the person
Explaining an unacceptable behavior or feeling in a rational or logical manner
Undoing
Behaviors that attempt to make up for or undo an unacceptable action, feeling, or impulse
Intellectualization
Attempts to master current stressor or conflict by expansion of knowledge, explanation, or understanding
Focusing on the intellectual component to avoid thinking about a stressful or emotional aspect
Suppression
Conscious analog of repression; conscious denial of a disturbing situation, feeling, or event
The conscious removal of unwanted information out of awareness
Sublimation
Unconscious process of substitution of socially acceptable, constructive activity for strong unacceptable impulse
Converts unacceptable impulses into more acceptable behaviors
Altruism
Meeting the needs of others in order to discharge drives, conflicts, or stressors
Splitting
Aspects of a person or self are seen only in extremes and not able to be integrated
Humor
Pointing out funny or ironic aspects of a situation to express feelings
A student does poorly on a test and blames the professor for a “bad” test
Rationalization
A woman views her husband as either all good or all bad; cannot integrate negative and positive
Splitting
Making a joke at one’s own expense
Humor
A person with extreme anger goes to the gym to box.
Sublimation
The woman decided to put aside and not think about her negative test results until after her daughter’s wedding
Suppression
Primitive or narcissistic defense mechanism
Seen in adolescents, non-psychotic patients
Splitting
Denial
Projection
Immature defense mechanism
Regression
Passive-aggression
Neurotic defense mechaism
Rationalization Reaction formation Intellectualization Repression Displacement
Mature defense mechanisms
Helpful, flexible, and healthy
Humor
Sublimation
Suppression
Passive Aggression
Indirectly expressing anger
“The pie scene” in the movie The Help
Passive-aggression
Treating someone you dislike in a friendly manner in order to hide your true feeling
Reaction formation
A person with a terminal illness spends hours learning about the disease and treatment to distance him/her form reality
Intellectualization
Child cannot remember abuse from parent
Repression
Angry at boss and instead of arguing with them, go home and pick a fight with spouse
Displacement
Alcoholic who denies they have a problem in the face of job loss or divorce
Denial
Taking a strong dislike for someone, when the fear or belief is that he/she does not like you
Projection
A child begins wetting the bed after his parents’ divorce
Regression
Displacement
Taking out frustrations, feelings and impulses on people or objects less threatening
ODD prevalence
2-16%
ODD age of onset
Can be as early as 3 years, typically before 8 years
Seldom adolescence
ODD Gender
Boys>girls, = ratio after puberty
ODD familial aspects
No distinct family patterns
Parents may be overly concerned with power, control, or autonomy
ODD Etiology
Persistent controlling and overreation by parents to displays of autonomy may contribute to chronic problems with authority
ODD Clinical features
Pattern of negativistic, hostile and defiant behavior x 6 months
4 or more are present
the person often: argues with adults, loses temper, refuses to comply with rules, blames others for their own mistakes, deliberately annoys people, “touch” or easily annoyed by others, angry and resentful, spiteful or vindictive
CD prevalence
6-16%
CD age onset
Boys = 10-12
Girls = 14-16
Childhood onset - prior to age 10
Adolescent onset - no criteria before age 10
CD gender
Boys>girls (4:1)
CD familial aspects
Occurs more frequently in children whose parents have antisocial personality disorder and alcohol dependence
CD Etiology
multifactorial risk factors:
Parenting: characterized as chaotic, hostile, physical and verbal aggressiveness; substance abuse, bitter divorce - all contribute to child’s maladaptive behavior
Social factors: lack of social involvement and social support, chronic exposure to violence
Psychologic: Poorly-developed sense of empathy
Neurobiology and Neurology: Select chemical changes and brain wave changes are noted
CD Clinical Features
Repetitive pattern of behavior where basic rights of others or major age-appropriate rules are violated within the past 12 months, one criterion present in the past 6 months 4 major categories of criteria 1- Aggression to people and animals 2-Destruction of property 3-Deceitfulness or theft 4-Serious violation of rules
