Untitled Quiz

Defense Mechanisms

• People use different strategies to cope with difficult situations, known as defense mechanisms.
• These mechanisms can be healthy or unhealthy, depending on the context and frequency of use.
• They are mental processes used to protect oneself from painful emotions like shame, guilt, or anxiety.
• They help resolve conflicts, reduce stress, and protect self-esteem and security.

Forms of Defense Mechanisms

Suppression

• Deliberate and conscious avoidance of unwanted thoughts and feelings.
• The person can choose to bring back these thoughts and emotions at will.

Repression

• Unconsciously pushing painful memories or feelings into the unconscious mind.
• This is involuntary, and the person is unable to recall these thoughts or feelings.

Rationalization

• Creating acceptable explanations for thoughts, actions, or feelings.
• This is done subconsciously to maintain self-respect and avoid guilt or social disapproval.

Compensation

• Making up for a perceived weakness or deficiency in one area by excelling in another.
• This can be a conscious or unconscious effort to boost self-esteem.

Reaction Formation

• Showing the opposite emotion or behavior to what one truly feels.
• This is a way to mask uncomfortable feelings.

Displacement

• Shifting feelings from the actual source to a less threatening target.
• The person redirects their anger or frustration to someone or something else.

Undoing/Restitution

• Trying to undo a past action or feeling that causes guilt.
• The person seeks to make amends for something they regret.

Projection

• Attributing one's own unwanted traits or feelings to someone else.
• The person avoids acknowledging their own shortcomings by blaming others.

Additional Defense Mechanisms (from page 2)

Sublimation

• Transforming unacceptable impulses into socially acceptable actions.
• For example, channeling anger into a sport.

Regression

• Reverting to a previous developmental stage to cope with a current stress.

Splitting

• Viewing people as either all good or all bad, without any shades of gray.

Acting Out

• Expressing emotions directly through actions rather than dialogue.

Fantasy

• Using imagination to escape from reality or to deal with frustration.

Passive-Aggressive Behavior

• Indirect expression of aggression, often through procrastination or subtle sabotage.

Altruism

• Acting in a way that benefits others to cope with personal problems.

Intellectualization

• Focusing on logic and reason to avoid uncomfortable emotions.

Conversion

• Transforming emotional distress into physical symptoms.

Denial

• Refusing to acknowledge an unpleasant reality.

Symbolization

• Using symbols to represent complex ideas or emotions.