psych - ego defenses Flashcards
expressing unacceptable feelings and thoughts through actions (actions are destructive)
ex: tantrums
acting out
avoiding the awareness of some painful reality
ex: rxn to new dx of AIDS or cancer
denial
transferring voided ideas and feelings to neutral person or object
ex: mother yells at child because husband yelled at her
displacement
temporary, drastic change in personality, memory, consciousness, or motor behavior to avoid emotional stress
detachment from reality
extreme forms can result in dissociative identity d/o
dissociation
partially remaining at a more childish level of development
ex: adults fixating on video games
fixation
modeling behavior after another person who is more powerful (though not necessarily admired)
ex: abused child identifies w/ abuser
identification
separating feelings from ideas and events
ex: describing murder in graphic detail w/ no emotional response
isolation (of affect)
expressing negativity and performing below what is expected as an indirect show of opposition
ex: disgruntled employee is repeatedly late to work
passive aggression
attributing an unacceptable internal impulse to an external source
ex: a man who wants another woman accuses his wife of cheating
projection
proclaiming a warded-off idea or feeling by an (unconsciously derived) emphasis on its opposite
ex: pt with libidinous thoughts enters a monastery
reaction formation
proclaiming logical reasons for actions actually performed for other reasons, usually to avoid self blame
“convenient excuse”
ex: after getting fired, states the job wasnt important anyways
rationalization
turning back maturational clock and going back to earlier modes of dealing with the world
ex: bedwetting in previously potty-trained child
regression
involuntary withholding an idea or feeling from conscious awareness
repression
believing that people are either all good or all bad at different times due to intolerance of ambiguity
splitting
alleviating negative feelings via unsolicited generosity
ex: mafia boss gives large donation to charity
altruism
appreciating the amusing nature of an anxiety-provoking or adverse situation
humor
replacing an unacceptable wish with a course of action that is similar to the wish but does not conflict with one’s value system
ex: aggression redirected into a workout
sublimation
intentionally withholding an idea or feeling from conscious awareness, temporary
ex: choosing not to worry about the big game until time to play
suppression
