EGO DEFENSE MECHANISM Flashcards
Overachievement in one area to offset real or perceived deficiencies in another area
Compensation
Expression of an emotional conflict through the development of a physical
symptom, usually sensorimotor in nature
Conversion
Failure to acknowledge an unbearable condition; failure to admit the reality of a
situation or how one enables the problem to continue
Denial
Ventilation of intense feelings toward persons less threatening than the one who
aroused those feelings
Displacement
Dealing with emotional conflict by a temporary alteration in consciousness or
identity
Dissociation
Immobilization of a portion of the personality resulting from unsuccessful
completion of tasks in a developmental stage
Fixation
Modeling actions and opinions of influential others while searching for identity, or aspiring to reach a personal, social, or occupational goal
Identification
Separation of the emotions of a painful event or situation from the facts involved;
acknowledging the facts but not the emotions
Intellectualization
Accepting another person’s attitudes, beliefs, and values as one’s own
Introjection
Unconscious blaming of unacceptable inclinations or thoughts on an external
object
Projection
Excusing own behavior to avoid guilt, responsibility, conflict, anxiety, or loss of
self-respect
Rationalization
Acting the opposite of what one thinks or feels
Reaction
formation
Moving back to a previous developmental stage to feel safe or have needs met
Regression
Excluding emotionally painful or anxiety-provoking thoughts and feelings from
conscious awareness
Repression
Overt or covert antagonism toward remembering or processing anxiety-producing information
Resistance
Substituting a socially acceptable activity for an impulse that is unacceptable
Sublimation
Replacing the desired gratification with one that is more readily available
Substitution
Conscious exclusion of unacceptable thoughts and feelings from conscious
awareness
Suppression
Exhibiting acceptable behavior to make up for or negate unacceptable behavior
Undoing
