Psychodynamic Theory And Practice Flashcards
What are ego defence mechanisms?
Psychological strategies used (mostly) unconsciously to protect a person from feelings of anxiety or guilt arising from unacceptable thoughts or feelings
Are a natural part of life but if out of proportion ie used with great frequency, neuroses develop
Arise in defence of the subconscious conflicts of Id and Superego to protect the Ego from anxiety and destruction
What is splitting?
A primitive defence mechanism
Compartmentalising experiences of self and other such that integration is not possible. When the individual is confronted with the contradictions in behaviour, thought or affect, he/she regards the differences with bland denial or indifference. This defence prevents conflict stemming from the incompatibility of the two polarised aspects of the self or other
What is projection?
A primitive defence mechanism
Perceiving and reacting to unacceptable inner impulses and their derivatives as though they were outside the self ie on another individual
What is projective identification?
A primitive defence mechanism
Both an intrapsychic defence mechanism and interpersonal communication. Involves behaving in such a way that subtle interpersonal pressure is placed on another person to take on characteristics of an aspect of the self or an internal object that is projected into that person. The person who is the target or the projection begins to behave, think and feel in keeping with what has been projected
What is denial?
A primitive defence mechanism
Avoiding awareness of aspects of external reality that are difficult to face by disregarding sensory data
What is distortion?
A primitive defence mechanism
Significantly altering external reality to meet one’s inner wish-fulfilling needs
What is dissociation?
A primitive defence mechanism
Disrupting one’s sense of continuity in the areas of identity, memory, consciousness, or perception as a way of maintaining an illusion of psychological control in the face of helplessness and loss of control.
While similar to splitting, in extreme cases of dissociation, there is an alteration of memory of events because of the disconnection of the self from the event
What is idealisation?
A primitive defence mechanism
Attributing perfect or near-perfect qualities to others as a way of avoiding anxiety or negative feelings such as contempt, envy or anger ie attributing positive characteristics to someone who abused you as a child as a way of not addressing the abuse
What is acting out?
A primitive defence mechanism
Enacting an unconscious wish or fantasy impulsively as a way of avoiding painful affect
What is somatisation?
A primitive defence mechanism
Converting emotional pain or other affective states into physical symptoms and focussing one’s attention on somatic (rather than intrapsychic) concerns
What is regression?
A primitive defence mechanism
Returning to an earlier phase of development or functioning to avoid the conflicts and tensions associated with one’s present level of development
What is introjection?
A higher-level (neurotic) defence mechanism
Internalising aspects of an object/significant person, as a way of dealing with the loss of that person. One may introject a hostile or bad object as a way of giving one an illusion of control over the object.
Also occurs in non-defensive forms as part of normal development
What is identification?
A higher-level (neurotic) defence mechanism
Internalising the qualities of another person by becoming like the person.
While introjection leads to an internalised representation experienced as an ‘other’, identification is experienced as part of the self.
This too can serve non-defensive functions as part of normal development
What is displacement?
A higher-level (neurotic) defence mechanism
Shifting feelings associated with one idea or object to another that resembles the original in some way
What is externalisation?
A higher-level (neurotic) defence mechanism
Disavowing personal responsibility for a behaviour by attributing that responsibility to someone else
What is intellectualisation?
A higher-level (neurotic) defence mechanism
Using excessive and abstract ideation to avoid difficult feelings
What is isolation of affect?
A higher-level (neurotic) defence mechanism
Separating an idea from its associated affect state to avoid emotional turmoil
What is rationalisation?
A higher-level (neurotic) defence mechanism
Justification of unacceptable attitudes, beliefs or behaviours to make them tolerable to one’s self
What is sexualisation?
A higher-level (neurotic) defence mechanism
Endowing an object or behaviour with sexual significance to turn a negative experience into an exciting and stimulating one or to ward off anxieties associated with the object
What is reaction formation?
A higher-level (neurotic) defence mechanism
Transforming an unacceptable wish or impulse into its opposite
What is repression?
A higher-level (neurotic) defence mechanism
Blocking or expelling unacceptable ideas or impulses from entering the consciousness.
Differs from denial in the fact that it concerns the repression of inner states rather than external sensory data
What is undoing?
A higher-level (neurotic) defence mechanism
Attempting to negate sexual, aggressive or shameful implications from a previous comment or behaviour by elaborating, clarifying or doing the opposite
What is humour?
A mature defence mechanism
Finding comic and/or ironic elements in difficult situations to reduce unpleasant affect and personal discomfort.
Also allows some distance and objectivity from events so that an individual can reflect on what is happening
What is suppression?
A mature defence mechanism
Consciously deciding not to attend to a particular feeling, state or impulse.
Differs from repression and denial in the fact that it is conscious whilst the other two are unconscious
What is ascetism?
A mature defence mechanism
Attempting to eliminate pleasurable aspects of experience because of internal conflicts produced by that pleasure.
This mechanism can be in the service of transcendent or spiritual goals, as in celibacy
What is altruism?
A mature defence mechanism
Committing oneself the needs of others over and above one’s own needs.
Can be used in the service of narcissistic problems, but can also be the source of great achievements and constructive contributions to society
What is anticipation?
A mature defence mechanism
Delaying of immediate gratification by planning and thinking about future achievements and accomplishments
What is sublimation?
A mature defence mechanism
Channeling socially objectionable or internally unacceptable aims into socially acceptable ones
What is transference?
The unconscious redirection of feelings a person has about a second person to the feelings the first person has about a third person.
Usually concerns feelings from an important second-person relationship from childhood
Transference in a therapist-client relationship could manifest itself in an erotic attraction towards the therapist or rage, hatred, mistrust, parentification, extreme dependence or elevation of therapist to god-like status etc
What is countertransference?
Redirection of a therapist’s feelings toward a patient, or their emotional entanglement with a patient - how does the patient make you feel?
By examining this you can see what feelings the client evokes in other people in their other relationships and the attitudes towards the therapist can be openly explored. Being aware of it also helps a therapist regulate their own emotions in that relationship
