EGO Defense Mechanism | Situational Flashcards
A nurse who experiences a stressful situation at work, such as a medical emergency, feels detached from the chaos, going through the motions without emotional involvement or reaction, and later struggles to recall the details of how they felt during the event.
Dissociation
An adult who is under a great deal of stress at work begins to exhibit childlike behaviors, such as throwing temper tantrums or seeking comfort by cuddling with a childhood stuffed animal.
Regression
A teenager, eager to fit in with a new group of friends, starts adopting their slang, fashion style, and interests, even though these were not part of their personal preferences, in order to be accepted by the group.
Introjection
A person with a strong desire for competition and aggression takes up boxing as a sport, channeling their intense emotions and drive into a healthy and socially acceptable activity.
Sublimation
A patient who has been diagnosed with cancer refuses to accept the diagnosis and insists, “There must be a mistake. I feel completely healthy and there’s no way I could have cancer.”
Denial
A student who recently went through a breakup chooses to focus on studying for their exams and tells themselves, “I’ll think about it after my finals are over.”
Suppression
A person who is angry at their colleague for not completing a task on time accuses the colleague of being upset with them, saying, “I can tell you’re mad at me for no reason.”
Projection
A young nurse admires a senior nurse for their expertise and professionalism and consciously tries to adopt their behaviors, communication style, and work habits to feel more competent and confident in their own role.
Identification
A person who feels anger and resentment toward their colleague but instead goes out of their way to be overly kind and generous, constantly praising them and offering help.
Reaction Formation
A nurse, frustrated after being reprimanded by their supervisor, goes home and snaps at their family members over minor issues, such as leaving dishes in the sink.
Displacement
After being diagnosed with a chronic illness, a patient spends hours researching the medical details of their condition and explains it to others in scientific terms, avoiding any discussion of their emotions or fears about the diagnosis.
Intellectualization
An individual who experienced a traumatic car accident as a child has no memory of the event but feels intense anxiety whenever they are in a car.
Repression
A person who yelled at a friend out of frustration later buys them a gift and excessively apologizes, trying to make up for the harsh words by overcompensating with kindness.
Undoing
A nurse arrives late to work and tells their colleague, “It’s fine that I’m late because the shift is usually slow at this time anyway.”
Rationalization
A person who is experiencing severe anxiety about an upcoming exam suddenly develops a painful headache or becomes temporarily unable to move their arm, even though no physical cause can be found for the symptoms.
Conversion
