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## Ego Defense Mechanisms | Defense Mechanism | Description | |---|---| | Compensation | Overachievement in one area to offset real or perceived deficiencies in another area. Example: "Napoleon complex": A diminutive man becoming emperor. Example: A man with a physical disability may develop rema...

## Ego Defense Mechanisms | Defense Mechanism | Description | |---|---| | Compensation | Overachievement in one area to offset real or perceived deficiencies in another area. Example: "Napoleon complex": A diminutive man becoming emperor. Example: A man with a physical disability may develop remarkable skills in a different area. | | Conversion| Expression of an emotional conflict through the development of a physical symptom. Usually sensorimotor in nature. Example: A 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 | Failure to admit the reality of a situation. Example: A person with diabetes eating chocolate candy. Example: Spending money freely when broke. | | Displacement | Ventilation of intense feelings toward persons less threatening than the one who aroused those feelings. Example: A person who is mad at their boss yells at their spouse. Example: A child who is harassed by a bully at school mistreats a younger sibling. | | Dissociation | Dealing with emotional conflict by a temporary alteration in consciousness or identity. Example: The adult remembers nothing of childhood sexual abuse. Example: The adult experiences amnesia that prevents recall of yesterday's auto accident. | | Fixation | Immobilization of a portion of the personality resulting from an unsuccessful completion of tasks in a developmental stage. Example: Never learning to delay gratification. Example: A lack of a clear sense of identity as an adult. | | Identification | Modeling actions and opinions of influential others while searching for identity or aspiring to reach a personal, social, or occupational goal. Example: A nursing student becoming a critical care nurse because this is the specialty of an instructor they admire. | | Intellectualization | Separation of the emotions of a painful event or situation from the facts involved; acknowledging the facts but not the emotions. Example: A person shows no emotional expression when discussing a serious car accident. | | Introjection |Accepting another person’s attitudes, beliefs, and values as one’s own. Example: A person who dislikes guns becomes an avid hunter, just like a best friend. | | Projection | Unconscious blaming of unacceptable inclinations or thoughts on an external object. Example: A man who has thought about same-gender sexual relationships but never has one beats a man who is gay. | | Rationalization | Excusing own behavior to avoid guilt, responsibility, conflict, anxiety, or loss of self-respect. Example: A student blames failure on a teacher being mean. | | Reaction Formation | Acting the opposite of what one thinks or feels. Example: A man who says he beats his wife because she does not listen to him. Example: A woman who never wanted to have children becomes a “supermom.” | | Regression | Moving back to a previous developmental stage to feel safe or have needs met. Example: A 5-year-old asks for a bottle when a new baby is being fed. Example: An adult pouts like a 4-year-old if they are not the center of their partner’s attention. | | Repression | Excluding emotionally painful or anxiety-provoking thoughts and feelings from conscious awareness. Example: A person has no memory of the mug