defense mechanisms

Question 1

repression

Answer 1

an unconscious mechanism employed by the ego to keep disturbing or threatening thoughts from becoming conscious

Question 2

denial

Answer 2

denial involves blocking external events from awareness
if some situation is just too much to handle, the person just refuses to experience it

Question 3

projection

Answer 3

this involves individuals attributing their own unacceptable thoughts, feelings, and motives to another person

differs from projective identification in that the target of the projection is not changed

Question 4

displacement

Answer 4

satisfying an impulse (e.g. aggression) with a substitute object
eg. someone who is angry at their boss may go home and kick the dog

Question 5

regression

Answer 5

this is a movement back in psychological time when one is faced with stress

Question 6

sublimation

Answer 6

satisfying an impulse (e.g. aggression) with a substitute object but in a socially acceptable way eg. sport

Question 7

splinting

Answer 7

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 or she regards the differences with bland denial or indifferences. The defence prevents conflict stemming from the incompatibility of the two polarised aspects of self or other

Question 8

projective identification

Answer 8

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 of the projection then begins to behave, think, and fell in keeping with that has been projected. this defines is both an intrapsychic defence mechanism and an interpersonal communication

Question 9

denial

Answer 9

avoiding awareness of aspects of external reality that are difficult to face by disregarding sensory data

Question 10

dissociation

Answer 10

disrupting one’s sense of continuity in the areas of identity, memory, consciousness, or perception as a way of retaining an illusion of psychological control in the face of helplessness and loss of control. although similar to splinting, dissociation may in extreme cases involve alteration of memory of events because of the disconnection of the self from the event

Question 11

idealisation

Answer 11

attributing perfect or near perfect qualities to others as a way of avoiding anxiety or negative feelings, such as contempt, envy or anger

Question 12

acting out

Answer 12

enacting an unconscious wish or fantasy impulsively as a way of avoiding painful affect

Question 13

somatisation

Answer 13

converting emotional pain or other affect states into physical symptoms an focusing one’s attention on somatic (rather than intraphysic) concerns

Question 14

regression

Answer 14

retiring to an earlier phase of development or functioning to avoid the conflicts and tensions associated with ones present level of development

Question 15

schizoid fantasy

Answer 15

retreating into ones private internal world to avoid anxiety about interpersonal relationships

Question 16

introjection

Answer 16

internalising aspects of a significant person as a way of dealing with the loss of that person
the person may also introject a hostile to bad object as a way or giving themselves an illusion of control over the object. introjection occurs in non defensive forms as a normal part of development

Question 17

identification

Answer 17

internalising the qualities of another person by becoming like the person.
whereas 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 in normal development

Question 18

displacement

Answer 18

shifting feelings associated with one idea or object to another that resembles the original in some way

Question 19

intellectualisation

Answer 19

using excessive an abstract ideation to avoid difficult feelings