Psychiatric defense mechanisms

Question 1

Expressing unacceptable feelings and thoughts through actions

Answer 1

Acting out (Immature)

Question 2

Temporary, drastic change in personality, memory, consciousness, or motor behavior to avoid emotional stress

Answer 2

Dissociation (immature)

Question 3

Avoiding the awareness of some painful reality

Answer 3

Denial (immature)

Question 4

Transferring avoided ideas and feelings to some neutral person or object

Answer 4

Displacement (immature)

Question 5

Mother yells at child bc husband yelled at her

Answer 5

Displacement (immature)

Question 6

Partially remaining at a more childish level of development

Answer 6

Fixation (immature)

• vs. regression
• Men fixating on sports games

Question 7

Modeling behavior after another person who is more powerful

Answer 7

Identification (immature)

Question 8

Separating feelings from Ideas and events

Answer 8

Isolation (immature)

Question 9

Describing murder in graphic detail with no emotional response is an example of:

Answer 9

Isolation (immature)

Question 10

Attributing an unacceptable internal response to an external source. For example, a man who wants another woman thinks his wife is cheating on him

Answer 10

Projection (immature)

Question 11

Proclaiming logical reasons for actions actually performed for other reasons, usually to avoid self-blame

Answer 11

Rationalization (immature)

Question 12

After Bill got fired, he claimed the job wasn’t important anyway. This is an example of

Answer 12

Rationalization (immature)

Question 13

Replacing a warded-off idea or feeling by an (unconsciously derived) emphasis on it’s opposite

Answer 13

Reaction formation (immature)

Question 14

A man with lots of sexual thoughts enters a monastery and becomes an outspoken advocate of abstinence. Example of:

Answer 14

Reaction formation (immature)

Question 15

Turning back the maturational clock and going back to earlier modes of dealing with the world

Answer 15

Regression (immature)

Question 16

Involuntary withholding an idea or feeling from conscious awareness. Ex: not remembering the details of a traumatic experience

Answer 16

Repression (immature)

Question 17

Believing that people are either all good or all bad

Answer 17

Splitting (immature)

Question 18

Alleviating guilty feelings by unsolicited generosity toward others

Answer 18

Altruism (Mature)

Question 19

Appreciating the amusing nature of an anxiety-provoking or adverse situation

Answer 19

Humor (Mature)

Question 20

Replacing an unacceptable wish with a course of action that is similar to the wish but does not conflict with one’s value system. Example: teenager playing football to redirect anger at his dad

Answer 20

Sublimation (Mature)

Question 21

Intentional withholding of an idea or feeling from conscious awareness. Ex: choosing not to worry about the big game until it is time to play

Answer 21

Suppression (Mature)

Question 22

What are the Cluster A personality disorders?

Answer 22

“Weird”
Paranoid
Schizoid
Schizotypal

Question 23

What are the Cluster B personality disorders?

Answer 23

"Wild"
Antisocial
Borderline
Histrionic
Narcissistic

Question 24

What are the Cluster C personality disorders?

Answer 24

“Worried”
Avoidant
Obsessive compulsive
Dependent