Personality DOs Flashcards
Which defense mechanism:
A woman who steals accuses her sister of stealing but has no proof
Projection (primitive)
Gross delusions about external reality
Which defense mechanism:
A person who has lost millions says, “We are the richest people ever!” and goes to show their bank account.
Denial (primitive)
Refusal to accept external reality because it is too threatening
Which defense mechanism:
Your fellow classmate explains how his professor is the best at the university but all his other professors know nothing and are incompetent
Splitting (primitive)
Seeing some people as all good and others as all bad.
Which defense mechanism:
On his way to work Bob is cut off in traffic. Still angry he goes to the office and yells at his secretary.
Displacement (neurotic)
Shift of emotion from real object and redirection of emotion towards something/someone else
Which defense mechanism:
With tax season beginning, accountant Roberta, begins watching cartoons from her childhood during breaks as a destressor.
Regression (neuotic)
Temporary reversion of behavior to earlier, less mature/child-like behavior
Which defense mechanism:
A person with low self esteem drops his coffee down his shirt in front of the entire office. The next day upon arriving to work, he develops a migraine and abdominal pain walking to his desk.
Somatization/hypochondriasis (neurotic)
Transforming negative feelings towards others into negative feelings toward self, pain, illness, anxiety
Which defense mechanism:
Shelby, a middle school girl, has started sitting with the “popular girls” at her school. Soon enough she has changed her wardrobe and hairstyle to match the others.
Her friend Megan, who was bullied by the girls, has now started pushing her little brother around and bulling him.
Introjection/Identification (neurotic)
Opposite of projection, a person aware will imitate. A person unaware will use it as a defense
Which defense mechanism:
A police officer informs his fellow officers about a horrific accident with lack of emotion and indifference.
Isolation of affect (neurotic)
Separating feelings from ideas and events
Which defense mechanism:
A med student cuts their hand deeply. The anxious anatomy fellow proceeds to recite the clotting cascade pathway.
Intellectualization (neurotic)
Focus on and exaggeration of one aspect of the situation to distance on from anxiety
Which defense mechanism:
A person stops mid conversation walking down the street with her friend.
Blocking (neurotic)
Temporarily inhibits thinking
Which defense mechanism:
A teacher notices a docile school boy begins to pick fights with other kids on the playground after learning his mom was just diagnosed with cancer.
Acting out (neurotic)
Covering up true feelings by discharging a different feeling
Which defense mechanism:
A little girl picks on and makes fun of the boy she likes from school.
A parent who has an unplanned pregnancy overly showers the kid in love and affection to cope with the feelings of not wanting the child
Reaction Formation (neurotic)
Converting unconscious wishes/impulses into opposite
Which defense mechanism:
A person knocks the salt over and proceeds to throw a pinch over their shoulder.
A person cheats on their partner but buys them a gift to make up for their actions
Undoing (neurotic)
Doing an action hoping to fix/reverse a previous unacceptable behavior
Which defense mechanism:
A person explains that yes they spent half their paycheck on frivolous items, but they were all on sale, they will use them all the time and they have considered getting all these things before they were on sale.
Rationalization (neurotic)
Justification of behavior. Convinces themself that no wrong occurred and the unacceptable behavior is acceptable
Which defense mechanism:
Bob “accidentally” cuts down the neighbors prized rose bush after the neighbors dog continuously poops in Bob’s yard
Passive aggressive (neurotic)
Which defense mechanism:
Medical students joking and laughing at how bad their last test went
Humor (mature)
Which defense mechanism:
A student procrastinates their English paper due the next day by playing their new exciting video game despite awareness of the looming assignment
Suppression (mature)
Conscious and intentional decision to delay attention to an emotional need.
Which defense mechanism:
Person at the grocery store helps little old lady in wheel chair gather items on tall shelves
Altruism (mature)
Constructive service to others above one’s own needs.
Which defense mechanism:
You are angry your kid ate your last fudge bar you have been saving all week. Instead of yelling at them, you take a deep breathe and meditate on the other good things in life.
Sublimation (mature)
Transformation of unpleasant emotions into positive action/behavior/emotion
Which personality DO:
A person who is always suspicious of others. They hold grudges, are easily offended, angry, preoccupied with loyalty and trustworthiness. Hallmark defense of projection
Paranoid Personality DO
Respect and do not collude with. Be honest
Which personality DO:
A person reserved, disconnected from others and social events by CHOICE. They are solitary and have little interest in sexual contact with others. They show a flat affect and have few friends
Schizoid Personality DO
Respect their space & do not impose social expectations.
Which personality DO:
A person who has difficulty with intimacy. Odd or fantastical thinking. They have unusual perceptual experiences. Appearance is eccentric/odd and they have a constricted or inappropriate affect. Excessive social anxiety. Fear of social interactions
Schizotypal Personality DO
Do not ridicule or judge
Which personality DO:
A person who appears to be in a state of crisis, unpredictable, impulsive, and uses a splitting defense mech. Unstable relationships. FEAR of ABANDONMENT.
Borderline Personality DO
Use simple communication with clear and consistent boundaries. Coordinate care with other providers. Tx with dialectical behavior therapy
Which personality DO:
A person who needs to be the center of attention, interacts with others with provocative or seductive behavior. They are theatrical and exaggerate emotion
Histrionic Personality DO
Address seductive behaviors
Which personality DO:
Repeat criminal who believes the rules do not apply to them. Has been referred to as a “psychopath,” & “sociopath.” They have no regard for social convention and are great at conning others. They enjoy cheating and manipulating. Is at least 18 yo and demonstrates behavior patterns before age 15 yo.
Antisocial Personality DO
Have firm limits with person. Exercise caution prescribing controlled substances
Which personality DO:
Inflated sense of self. Requires excessive admiration. Often they feel contempt for others. They will often seek out the best physicians for their “special” needs.
Narcissist Personality DO
Acknowledge they are special
Which personality DO:
A person subordinate to the needs of others. Occasionally they accept demeaning tasks in order to gain acceptance. Rarely alone and always in a longterm relationship. Clingy and low self esteem
Dependent Personality DO
Assess the pt’s stage of change
Which personality DO:
A person reluctant to take personal risks and unwilling to get involved unless certain of being liked. Want’s to socialize but can’t
Avoidant Personality DO
Avoid critical comments, have patience and understanding. Avoids because of fear of rejection
Which personality DO:
A person preoccupied to details, rules, order, & organization. Perfectionism interferes in task completion. Unwilling to compromise and insist that others submit to their needs. Rigided and stubborn
Obsessive Compulsive Personality DO
Avoid power struggles, allow the patient to have control when you can.
egosyntonic
Mature defenses (4)
Sublimation
Humor
Altruism
Suppression
Behaviors that do NOT impair social functioning and can aid in social function
What separates a quirky person from one with a personality DO?
Functional impairment
