Defense Mechanisms - Used in psych review PDF

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Defense Mechanisms-2 TABLE 12-2 Adaptive and Maladaptive Uses of Defense Mechanisms Defense Mechanism First example of each is Adaptive Use Second example of each is Maladaptive Use Compensation is used to make up for perceived deficiencies and cover up shortcomings related to these deficiencies to protect the conscious mind from recognizing them. A shorter-than-average man becomes assertively verbal and excels in business. An individual drinks alcohol when self-esteem is low to temporarily diffuse discomfort. Conversion is the unconscious transformation of anxiety into a physical symptom with no organic cause. Often the symptom functions to gain attention or as an excuse. A student is unable to take a final examination because of a terrible headache. A man becomes blind after seeing his wife flirt with other men. Denial involves escaping unpleasant, anxiety-causing thoughts, feelings, wishes, or needs by ignoring their existence. A man reacts to news of the death of a loved one by saying, “No, I don't believe you. The doctor said he was fine.” A woman whose husband died 3 years earlier still keeps his clothes in the closet and talks about him in the present tense. Displacement is the transference of emotions associated with a particular person, object, or situation to another nonthreatening person, object, or situation. A patient criticizes a nurse after his family fails to visit. A child who is unable to acknowledge fear of his father becomes fearful of animals. Dissociation is a disruption in the usually integrated functions of consciousness, memory, identity, or perception of the environment. It may

result in a separation between feeling and thought. This can also manifest itself in compartmentalizing uncomfortable or unpleasant aspects of oneself. An art student is able to mentally separate herself from the noisy environment as she becomes absorbed in her work. As the result of an abusive childhood and the need to separate from its realities, a woman finds herself perpetually in a world where she feels disconnected from reality. Identification is attributing to oneself the characteristics of another person or group. This may be done consciously or unconsciously. An 8-year-old girl dresses up like her teacher and puts together a pretend classroom for her friends. A young boy thinks a neighborhood pimp with money and drugs is someone to look up to. Intellectualization is a process in which events are analyzed based on remote, cold facts and without passion, rather than incorporating feeling and emotion into the processing. Despite the fact that a man has lost his farm to a tornado, he analyzes his options and leads his child to safety. A man responds to the death of his wife by focusing on the details of day care and operating the household, rather than processing the grief with his children. Introjection is the process by which the outside world is incorporated or absorbed into a person's view of the self. After his wife's death, a man has transient complaints of chest pains and difficulty breathing—the symptoms his wife had before she died. A young child whose parents were overcritical and belittling grows up thinking that she is no good. She has taken on her parents’ evaluation of her as part of her self-image. Projection refers to the unconscious rejection of emotionally unacceptable features and attributing them to other people, objects, or situations. You can remember this defense through the childhood retort of “What you say is what you are.” A man who is unconsciously attracted to other women teases his wife about flirting. A woman who has repressed an attraction toward other women refuses to socialize. She fears another woman will make homosexual advances toward her.

Rationalization consists of justifying illogical or unreasonable ideas, actions, or feelings by developing acceptable explanations that satisfy the teller as well as the listener. An employee says, “I didn't get the raise because the boss doesn't like me.” A man who thinks his son was fathered by another man excuses his malicious treatment of the boy by saying, “He is lazy and disobedient,” when that is not the case. Reaction formation is when unacceptable feelings or behaviors are controlled and kept out of awareness by developing the opposite behavior or emotion. A recovering alcoholic constantly preaches about the evils of drink. A woman who has an unconscious hostility toward her daughter is overprotective and hovers over her to protect her from harm, interfering with her normal growth and development. Regression is reverting to an earlier, more primitive and childlike pattern of behavior that may or may not have been previously exhibited. A 4-year-old boy with a new baby brother starts sucking his thumb and wanting a bottle. A man who loses a promotion starts complaining to others, hands in sloppy work, misses appointments, and comes in late for meetings. Repression is a first-line psychological defense against anxiety. It is the temporary or long-term exclusion of unpleasant or unwanted experiences, emotions, or ideas from conscious awareness. This happens at an unconscious level. A man forgets his wife's birthday after a marital fight. A woman is unable to enjoy sex after having pushed out of awareness a traumatic sexual incident from childhood. Splitting is the inability to integrate the positive and negative qualities of oneself or others into a cohesive image. Aspects of the self and of others tend to alternate between opposite poles; for example, either good, loving, worthy, and nurturing, or bad, hateful, destructive, rejecting, and worthless. A toddler views her parents as superhuman and wants to be like them. A 26-year-old woman has difficulty maintaining close relationships. Despite the fact that she can initially find many positive qualities about new acquaintances, eventually she becomes disillusioned when they turn out to be flawed.

Sublimation is an unconscious process of substituting mature, constructive, and socially acceptable activity for immature, destructive, and unacceptable impulses. Often these impulses are sexual or aggressive. A woman who is angry with her boss writes a short story about a heroic woman. The use of sublimation is always constructive. Suppression is the conscious denial of a disturbing situation or feeling. For example, Jessica has been studying for the state board examination for a week solid. She says, “I won't worry about paying my rent until after my exam tomorrow.” A businessman who is preparing to make an important speech later in the day is told by his wife that morning that she wants a divorce. Although visibly upset, he puts the incident aside until after his speech, when he can give the matter his total concentration. A woman who feels a lump in her breast shortly before leaving for a 3-week vacation puts the information in the back of her mind until after returning from her vacation. Undoing is most commonly seen in children. It is when a person makes up for an act or communication. After flirting with her male secretary, a woman brings her husband tickets to a concert he wants to see. A man with rigid, moralistic beliefs and repressed sexuality is driven to wash his hands to gain composure when around attractive women. (Varcarolis 217) Varcarolis, Halter. Foundations of Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing, 6th Edition. W.B. Saunders Company, 2010. ....