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Defense Mechanism

Defense mechanisms are unconscious tactics used by the ego to reduce internal stress and anxiety. They function to minimize anxiety, protect the ego, and decrease internal conflict. There are various types of defense mechanisms, including avoidance, compensation, conversion, denial, displacement, dissociation, fixation, humor, identification, intellectualization, introjection, isolation, projection, rationalization, reaction formation, regression, repression, resistance, sublimation, substitution, suppression, and undoing. Each has a specific definition and serves the purpose of managing uncomfortable thoughts, feelings, and situations.

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464 views

Defense Mechanism

Defense mechanisms are unconscious tactics used by the ego to reduce internal stress and anxiety. They function to minimize anxiety, protect the ego, and decrease internal conflict. There are various types of defense mechanisms, including avoidance, compensation, conversion, denial, displacement, dissociation, fixation, humor, identification, intellectualization, introjection, isolation, projection, rationalization, reaction formation, regression, repression, resistance, sublimation, substitution, suppression, and undoing. Each has a specific definition and serves the purpose of managing uncomfortable thoughts, feelings, and situations.

Uploaded by

Cheska Ysabelle
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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1. Definition of Defense Mechanisms

 Defense mechanisms as "unconscious resources used by the ego" to decrease internal


stress ultimately.
 Defense mechanisms are techniques people employ to deal with stressful or anxious
feelings. The extent to which these techniques may be beneficial or even harmful can
vary greatly. Defense tactics are typically unconsciously performed by most people.
 Understanding and caring for yourself more effectively can be achieved by recognizing
both adaptive and maladaptive defense systems, as well as their underlying causes or
triggers.

2.Function/Purpose of Defense Mechanisms

 To minimize anxiety.
 To protect the ego.
 To maintain repression.
 to decrease conflict within themselves.
 to help orient patients to their own unconscious processes.
 improve their self-awareness and gain a new understanding of their own behaviors.

Defense Mechanism (Type) Definition Example/s

1) Avoidance Dismissing thoughts or A person might know that they are


feelings that are uncomfortable due to give a stressful presentation
or keeping away from people, to colleagues at work, and take a
places, or situations associated sick day in order to avoid giving it.
with uncomfortable thoughts
or feelings. 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. 

2) Compensation Focusing on achievement in A youth with residual muscle


one area of life in order to damage from poliomyelitis
distract attention away from becomes an athlete.
the inadequacy or fear of
inadequacy in another area of
life. 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. 

3) Conversion The development of physical A man’s arm becomes paralyzed


symptoms that cannot be after impulses to strike another.
explained by pathophysiology
or physical injury.
4) Denial Failure to acknowledge an A disabled person plans to return
unbearable condition; failure to former activities without
to admit the reality of a planning a realistic program of
situation or how one enables rehabilitation.
the problem to continue

5) Displacement Transferring one’s emotional Someone who has a stressful day


burden or emotional reaction at work and then lashes out against
from one entity to another. their family at home. 

6) Dissociation Dealing with emotional Adult remembers nothing of


conflict by a temporary childhood sexual abuse
alteration in consciousness or
identity

7) Fixation The cessation of the process of Lack of a clear sense of identity as


development of the personality an adult
at a stage short of complete
and uniform mature
independence.

8) Humor Decreasing or combating the Telling a funny story about


negative emotions associated someone during a eulogy.
with a situation by using
comedy.

9) Identification Modeling actions and opinions Nursing student becoming a


of influential others while critical care nurse because this is
searching for identity, or the specialty of an instructor she
aspiring to reach a personal, admires
social, or occupational goal

10) Intellectualization Separation of the emotions of Someone diagnosed with a


a painful event or situation terminal illness does not show
from the facts involved; emotion after the diagnosis is
acknowledging the facts but given but instead starts to research
not the emotions every source they can find about
the illness. 

11) Introjection Accepting another person’s Person who dislikes guns becomes
attitudes, beliefs, and values as an avid hunter, just like a best
one’s own. friend

12) Isolation Avoiding the experience of an  A person with a particularly


emotion associated with a stressful job may use isolation to
person, idea, or situation. separate their work life from their
family life, avoiding the stress
affecting their relationships.

13) Projection Attributing one’s thoughts or Feeling attracted to someone other


impulses to another person. than your spouse, then fearing that
your spouse is cheating on you.
14) Rationalization Excusing own behavior to A woman with a closet full of
avoid guilt, responsibility, dresses buys a new one because
conflict, anxiety, or loss of she doesn’t have anything to wear.
self-respect

15) Reaction formation Going to the opposite extreme; Person who despises the boss tells
overcompensation for everyone what a great boss she is
unacceptable impulses.

16) Regression Moving back to a previous Man pouts like a 4-year-old if he is


developmental stage to feel not the center of his girlfriend’s
safe or have needs met attention

17) Repression Excluding emotionally painful Being abused as a child but not
or anxiety-provoking thoughts remembering the abuse
and feelings from conscious
awareness

18) Resistance Overt or covert antagonism Nurse is too busy with tasks to
toward remembering or spend time talking to a dying
processing anxiety-producing patient.
information

19) Sublimation Substituting a socially Person goes for a 15-minute walk


acceptable activity for an when tempted to eat junk food
impulse that is unacceptable

20) Substitution Replacing the desired Woman who would like to have
gratification with one that is her own children opens a day care
more readily available center

21) Suppression Conscious exclusion of Student decides not to think about


unacceptable thoughts and a parent’s illness to study for a test
feelings from conscious
awareness.

22) Undoing Exhibiting acceptable behavior Person who cheats on a spouse


to make up for or negate brings the spouse a bouquet of
unacceptable behavior roses

4.  Source:
Bailey, R., & Pico, J. (2022, May 29). Defense mechanisms - Stat Pearls - NCBI bookshelf. National
Center for Biotechnology Information. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK559106/
Videbeck, S. (2019). Psychiatric-mental health nursing. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

. 

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