What Are The 12 Defense Mechanisms?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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  1. Denial. Denial is one of the most common defense mechanisms. ...
  2. Repression. Unsavory thoughts, painful memories, or irrational beliefs can upset you. ...
  3. Projection. ...
  4. Displacement. ...
  5. Regression. ...
  6. Rationalization. ...
  7. Sublimation. ...
  8. Reaction formation.

What are Freud’s 12 Ego defense mechanisms?

In the first definitive book on defence mechanisms, The Ego and the Mechanisms of Defence (1936), Anna Freud enumerated the ten defence mechanisms that appear in the works of her father, Sigmund Freud: repression, regression, reaction formation, isolation, undoing, projection, introjection, turning against one’s own ...

What are the 7 defense mechanisms *?

In addition to forgetting, other defense mechanisms include rationalization, denial, repression, projection, rejection, and reaction formation . While all defense mechanisms can be unhealthy, they can also be adaptive and allow us to function normally.

What are the 8 defense mechanisms?

  • Denial. This involves a person not recognizing the reality of a stressful situation in order to protect themselves from overwhelming fear or anxiety. ...
  • Distortion. ...
  • Projection. ...
  • Dissociation. ...
  • Repression. ...
  • Reaction formation. ...
  • Displacement. ...
  • Intellectualization.

What are the 10 defense mechanisms?

  1. Denial. Denial is one of the most common defense mechanisms. ...
  2. Repression. Unsavory thoughts, painful memories, or irrational beliefs can upset you. ...
  3. Projection. ...
  4. Displacement. ...
  5. Regression. ...
  6. Rationalization. ...
  7. Sublimation. ...
  8. Reaction formation.

What is repression example?

Examples of Repression

An adult suffers a nasty spider bite as a child and develops an intense phobia of spiders later in life without any recollection of the experience as a child. Because the memory of the spider bite is repressed, he or she may not understand where the phobia originates.

Is crying a defense mechanism?

Tears prevent someone who is crying, Hasson contends, from effectively acting aggressively and sends the signal that someone who is crying has lowered his or her defenses. ... Humans appear to be the only creatures that shed tears as an emotional reaction.

What superego mean?

The superego is the ethical component of the personality and provides the moral standards by which the ego operates. The superego’s criticisms, prohibitions, and inhibitions form a person’s conscience, and its positive aspirations and ideals represent one’s idealized self-image, or “ego ideal.”

What are the three levels of awareness?

The famed psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud believed that behavior and personality were derived from the constant and unique interaction of conflicting psychological forces that operate at three different levels of awareness: the preconscious, conscious, and unconscious .

What are the psychosexual stages?

An Overview of the Psychosexual Stages

During the five psychosexual stages, which are the oral, anal, phallic, latent, and genital stages , the erogenous zone associated with each stage serves as a source of pleasure. The psychosexual energy, or libido, was described as the driving force behind behavior.

How can we stop defense mechanisms?

  1. Go in the opposite direction. ...
  2. Practice mindfulness. ...
  3. Ask yourself how your defences are limiting you or holding you back: ...
  4. Give yourself permission to experience real intimacy.

What is splitting defense mechanism?

For people with borderline personality disorder (BPD), ‘splitting’ is a commonly used defense mechanism that is done subconsciously in an attempt to protect against intense negative feelings such as loneliness, abandonment and isolation .

What is Introjection defense mechanism?

Introjection, one of many defense mechanisms posited by Sigmund Freud, occurs when a person internalizes the ideas or voices of other people . This behavior is commonly associated with the internalization of external authority, particularly that of parents.

How do you tell if you’re in denial?

  1. You refuse to talk about the problem.
  2. You find ways to justify your behavior.
  3. You blame other people or outside forces for causing the problem.
  4. You persist in a behavior despite negative consequences.
  5. You promise to address the problem in the future.
  6. You avoid thinking about the problem.

Is apathy a defense mechanism?

Apathy is a defense mechanism that some people develop after facing repeated disappointments. At best it mutes happiness, at worst it can pave the way to depression.

What is an example of identification defense mechanism?

Identification is also known as introjection. Projection: Attributing one’s own maladaptive inner impulses to someone else. 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.

Leah Jackson
Author
Leah Jackson
Leah is a relationship coach with over 10 years of experience working with couples and individuals to improve their relationships. She holds a degree in psychology and has trained with leading relationship experts such as John Gottman and Esther Perel. Leah is passionate about helping people build strong, healthy relationships and providing practical advice to overcome common relationship challenges.