Defense Mechansims Flashcards
What defense mechanism is this an example of: a nurse who lost a family member in a fire is a volunteer firefighter
Altruism
When do defense mechanisms become maladaptive
When they interfere with the functioning, relationships, and orientation to reality
Dealing with anxiety by reaching out to others
Altruism
Dealing with unacceptable feelings or impulses by unconsciously substituting acceptable forms of expression
Sublimation
What defense mechanism is this an example of: a person who has feelings of anger and hostility toward his work supervisor gets rid of those feelings by working out vigorously at the gym during his lunch period
Sublimation
Voluntarily denying unpleasant thoughts and feelings
Suppression
What defense mechanism is this an example of: a person who has lost his job states he will worry about paying his bill next week
Suppression
Putting unacceptable ideas, thoughts, and emotions out of conscious awareness
Repression
What defense mechanism is this an example of: a person who has a fear of the dentists drill continually “forgets” his dental appointments
Repression
Shifting feelings related to an object, person, or situation to another less threatening object, person, or situation
Displacement
What defense mechanism is this an example of: a person who is angry about losing his job destroys his child’s favorite toy
Displacement
Overcompensating or demonstrating the opposite behavior of what is felt
Reaction formation
What defense mechanism is this an example of: a person who dislikes her sisters daughter offers to babysit so her sister can go out of town
Reaction formation
Performing an act to make up for prior behavior
Undoing
What defense mechanism is this an example of: an adolescent completes his chores without being prompted after having an argument with his parent
Undoing
Creating reasonable and acceptable explanations for unacceptable behavior
Rationalization
What defense mechanism is this an example of: a young adult explains he had to drive home from a party after drinking alcohol because he had to feed his dog
Rationalization
Temporarily blocking memories and perceptions from consciousness
Dissociation
What defense mechanism is this an example of: an adolescent witnesses a shooting and is unable to recall any details from the event
Dissociation
Demonstrating an inability to reconcile negative and positive attributes of self or others
Splitting
What defense mechanism is this an example of: a client tells a nurse that she is the only one who cares about her, yet the following day, the same client refuses to talk to the nurse
Splitting
Blaming other for unacceptable thoughts and feelings
Projection
What defense mechanism is this an example of: a young adult blames his substance use disorder on his parents refusal to buy him a new car
Projection
Pretending the truth is not reality to manage the anxiety of acknowledging what is real
Denial
What defense mechanism is this an example of: a parent who is informed that his son was killed in combat tells everyone he is coming home for the holidays
Denial
When does mild anxiety occur
In the normal experience of everyday living
Feeling or acting as if one possesses special powers or abilities and is superior to others
Omnipotence
Separation of the ideas from the feelings originally associated with them
Isolation of affect
Excessive use of abstract thinking or the making of generalizations to control or minimize disturbing feelings
Intellectualization
Using actions rather than reflections of feelings during periods of emotional conflict. An example would be a teenager who gets mad at his parents and begins staying out late at night
Acting out
Turning to others for help or support (sharing problems with others without implying that someone is responsible for them)
Affiliation
Excessive daydreaming as a substitute for human relationships, more effective action, or problem solving
Autistic fantasy
Attributing exaggerated negative qualities to self or others
Devaluation
Emphasizing the amusing or ironic aspects of the conflict or stressor
Humor
Attributing exaggerated positive qualities to others
Idealization
Expressing feelings and thoughts directly in a way that is not coercive or manipulating
Self-assertion
Reflecting feelings, thoughts, motivation, and behavior and responding to them appropriately
Self-observation
