![]() Intellectualization: The development of patterns of excessive thinking or over-analyzing, which may increase the distance from one's emotions. For example, telling a funny story about someone during a eulogy. Humor: Decreasing or combating the negative emotions associated with a situation by using comedy. This defense mechanism may be present in someone who has a stressful day at work and then lashes out against their family at home. This defense mechanism may be present in a student who receives poor grades on their report card and then devotes more time and effort to extracurricular clubs and activities.ĭisplacement: Transferring one’s emotional burden or emotional reaction from one entity to another. ![]() This defense mechanism may be present in someone who prepares for an important job interview by practicing their answers to the toughest questions.Ĭompensation: Focusing on achievement in one area of life in order to distract attention away from the inadequacy or fear of inadequacy in another area of life. Splitting is commonly associated with borderline personality disorder.Īnticipation: The devotion of one’s effort to solving problems before they arise. Splitting: Failing to reconcile both positive and negative attributes into a whole understanding of a person or situation, resulting in all-or-none thinking. This defense mechanism may present commonly in children or later in development, may be present in schizoid personality disorder. Schizoid fantasy: Creating an internal retreat into one’s imagination to avoid uncomfortable situations. This defense mechanism may be present in someone who has no recollection of a traumatic event, even though they were conscious and aware during the event. Repression: Subconsciously blocking ideas or impulses that are undesirable. For example, a stressful event may cause an individual to regress to bed-wetting after they have already outgrown this behavior. Regression: Adapting one’s behavior to earlier levels of psychosocial development. For example, someone who commits an episode of infidelity in their marriage may then accuse their partner of infidelity or may become more suspicious of their partner. Projection: Attributing one’s own maladaptive inner impulses to someone else. ![]() Identification is also known as introjection. Identification: The internalization or reproduction of behaviors observed in others, such as a child developing the behavior of his or her parents without conscious realization of this process. ![]() This defense mechanism may be present in someone who continues to shop for expensive designer clothes despite being in serious financial debt. This defense mechanism is recognized in conversion disorder, also known as functional neurologic symptom disorder.ĭenial: Dismissing external reality and instead focusing on internal explanations or fallacies and thereby avoiding the uncomfortable reality of a situation. This defense mechanism may be present in post-traumatic stress disorder, where one avoids the location of a traumatic motor vehicle accident or avoids driving completely.Ĭonversion: The development of physical symptoms that cannot be explained by pathophysiology or physical injury. This defense mechanism may be present in conduct disorder, antisocial personality disorder, or oppositional defiant disorder.Īvoidance: Dismissing thoughts or feelings that are uncomfortable or keeping away from people, places, or situations associated with uncomfortable thoughts or feelings. Īcting out: The development of detrimental behaviors that distract attention and energy away from other stressors. Therefore, the early identification of defense mechanisms can have great clinical significance. Depending on the context and the severity, defense mechanisms can be either maladaptive or adaptive. If defense mechanisms are identified and adolescence, it can help predict further development of personality disorders.
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