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Defense Mechanism
Mechanism Definition Example Compensation An attempt to make up for real or fancied deficiencies Overachievement in one area to offset real or perceived deficiencies in another area A student is poor in academic but is a talented artist Napoleon complex: diminutive man becoming emperor Nurse with low self-esteem working double shifts so that her supervisor will like her Conversion A person converts an emotional problem into a physical symptom to release the tension and anxiety associated with the problem Expression of an emotional conflict through the development of a physical symptom, usually sensorimotor in nature A reviewee develops diarrhea during board exams Teenager forbidden to see X- rated movies is tempted to do so by friends and develops blindness, and the teenager is unconcerned about the loss of sight Denial Painful or anxiety-producing experiences are blocked out of consciousness. One of the most common Failure to acknowledge an unbearable condition; failure to admit the reality of a situation or how one enables the problem to continue A woman who delivered a baby with Down’s Syndrome refuses to bring her baby for therapy Diabetic person eating chocolate candy Spending money freely when broke Waiting 3 days to seek help for severe abdominal pain Displacement Discharging of pent-up feelings from one person, idea or object to another Ventilation of intense feelings toward persons less threatening than the one who aroused those feelings A clinical instructor reprimanded by the Dean lashes out on her students in the clinical area Person who is mad at the boss yells at his or her spouse Child who is harassed by a bully at school mistreats a younger sibling
Dissociation Temporary alteration of consciousness or identity Dealing with emotional conflict by a temporary alteration in consciousness or identity A teenager “happily” relates his motorcycle accident Amnesia that prevents recall of yesterday’s auto accident Adult remembers nothing of childhood sexual abuse Fixation Immobilization of a portion of the personality resulting from unsuccessful completion of tasks in a developmental stage Never learning to delay gratification Lack of a clear sense of identity as an adult Identification An unconscious wish to be like another person and to assume the characteristics of that person’s personality Modeling actions and opinions of influential others while searching for identity, or aspiring to reach a personal, social, or occupational goal A teenage dresses like her favorite actress Nursing student becoming a critical care nurse because this is the specialty of an instructor she admires Intellectualization Separating the emotion aroused by an event from ideas or opinions about the event because the emotion itself is too painful to accept Separation of the emotions of a painful event or situation from the facts involved; acknowledging the facts but not the emotions The pain over parent’s sudden death is reduced by saying, “He would not have wanted to live disabled” Person shows no emotional expression when discussing serious car accident Introjection Unconsciously incorporating loved or hated wishes, values and attitudes external to oneself Accepting another person’s attitudes, beliefs, and values as one’s own A little girl spanks her doll like her mother does to her • Person who dislikes guns becomes an avid hunter, just like a best friend
Repression Unconscious and involuntary forgetting of unbearable ideas and impulses. Excluding emotionally painful or anxiety-provoking thoughts and feelings from conscious awareness The basis of all defense mechanisms A student whose phone was snatched does not remember the details of the incident Woman has no memory of the mugging she suffered yesterday Woman has no memory before age 7, when she was removed from abusive parents Resistance Overt or covert antagonism toward remembering or processing anxiety- producing information Nurse is too busy with tasks to spend time talking to a dying patient. Person attends court- ordered treatment for alcoholism but refuses to participate Restitution Going back or attempting to restore or repair unconscious guilt feelings A mother spanked her child and afterwards treats her to Jollibee Sublimation Diversion of consciously unacceptable instinctual drives into personally and socially accepted areas Substituting a socially acceptable activity for an impulse that is unacceptable Strong sexual urges are diverted into creative arts like painting, sculpture Person who has quit smoking sucks on hard candy when the urge to smoke arises Person goes for a 15-minute walk when tempted to eat junk food Substitution Replacement of an unacceptable need, attitude, or emotion with one that is more acceptable. Replacing the desired gratification with one that is more readily available A woman rushes into marriage following a breakup with her boyfriend Woman who would like to have her own children opens a day care center
Suppression Intentional exclusion of thoughts from consciousness. It is the conscious form of repression Conscious exclusion of unacceptable thoughts and feelings from conscious awareness A rape victim says she is not ready to talk about the experience Student decides not to think about a parent’s illness to study for a test Woman tells a friend she cannot think about her son’s death right now Symbolization A person attaches significance to shapes of objects, colors, materials, slogans, words, etc. FG Arroyo sends GMA 33 roses on their 33rd^ wedding anniversary Undoing An unconscious symbolic attempt to eliminate the existence of a previous dreadful/painful experience Exhibiting acceptable behavior to make up for or negate unacceptable behavior A man washes his hands after committing a crime Person who cheats on a spouse brings the spouse a bouquet of roses Man who is ruthless in business donates large amounts of money to charity
