Personality Disorders Flashcards
What is the Id
instinctive builogic drives and desires
“I want it now!”
What is the Ego?
logical and language based problem solving
“I think” or “We can compromise”
What is the Superego?
moral conscience based on ideals and values
“I should” or “It’s not right to do that”
What are defense mechanisms?
Ego defense mechanisms are how the ego solves problems by
- solving conflicts between the Id and the Superego
- keeps the person connected to reality
If tension cannot be resolved, what takes over?
defense mechanisms
What are primitive defenses?
childhood, dreams, psychotic adults use these
allow the user to eliminate the need to cope with reality
What is projection?
- primitive
- grossly frank delusions about external reality
- projects paranoid ideas out onto the world and onto other people
Example: man who cheated on wife, thinks she is cheating on him without evidence
What is denial?
- primitive
- refusal to accept external reality because it is too threatening
- Denies existence of trauma
Example: Pt sprained ankle but continues to go for a run
What is splitting?
- Primitive
- seeing some people as all good and others as all bad
Example: Pt idolizes you but demonizes previous provider
What is Displacement?
- Neurotic
- shifts sexual or aggressive impulses to a more acceptable or less threatening target
- redirects emotions or separates emotion
Example: mother yells at child when angry at spouse; Doc yells at front staff when frustrated with patient
What is Regression?
- Neurotic
- Temporary reversion of behavior to an earlier/less mature behavior
Example: adult “baby talking” when stressed
What is somatization/hypochondriasis?
- Neurotic
- transforming negative feelings towards others into negatiev feelings toward self, pain, illness, or anxiety
Example: student is embarrassed by resident on rotation, next day has upset stomach upon arrival to hospital
What is Introjection/Identification?
- Neurotic
- Opposite of projection, involves taking others behaviors or emotions and internalizing this. Can be conscious (imitation) or unconscious (defense).
Example: Student acts like mentor; Abused child becomes an abusive parent
What is Isolation of Affect?
- Neurotic
- Separating feelings from ideas and events
- Very calm when talking about sad/shocking/stressful events
- Cognitive info is recalled, but emotions are avoided
Example: person describes murder in detail but no emotional response is evident
What is Intellectualization?
- Neurotic
- Focusing on and exaggerating the intellectual aspect of a situation so as to distance oneself form anxiety
Example: Doc focuses on test results rather than pt’s emotions
What is Blocking?
- Neurotic
- Temporarily inhibits thinking
- Can include effect and behaviour
- Person just “stops” momentarily
What is Acting Out?
- Neurotic
- Covering up true feelings by discharging a different feeling (usually anger)
Example: Physical fight or bullying because person can’t handle internal emotions; Adolescent drinking ETOH because can’t cope with parents divorce
What is Reaction Formation?
- Neurotic
- Converting unconscious wishes or impulses considered threatening into the opposite action
Example: co-workers fight but they secretly are attracted to eachother
What is Undoing?
- Neurotic
- Do an action to “fix” or reverse a previously unacceptable behaviour
- seen in OCD, Body Dysmorohic Disorder, Partner Violence, etc
What is Rationalization?
- Neurotic
- Person convinces themselves that no wrong has happened and that the unacceptable is acceptable
Example: If the room wasn’t so noisy, I would have done better on the test.
What is Passive Aggressive?
- Neurotic
- aggression towards others expressed indirectly
Example: You need to return a borrowed dish to a neighbor but their dog ate your garden, so now you wait to give it back to them
AKA: A real Karen
What is Dissociation?
- Neurotic
- Drastic change in identity or character to avoid stress
- “out of body” experience
Example: memory may be “boxed” into another part of the conscious and not easy to recall, or moved into unconscious and thus unable to recall
What is Humor (as a defense mechanism)?
- Mature
- Using humor to express ideas and feelings
Example: student makes a joke out of being sleep deprived
What is Supression?
- Mature
- Conscious and intentional (thus not Repression)
- Delay paying attention to an emotional need an deal with it later
Example: Pt dies, but doctor puts grieving on hold in order to care for other patients
