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LMSW Exam: Defense Mechanisms

Terms in this set (28)

acting out
emotional conflict dealt with through actions instead of feelings (ex. getting into trouble to get attention vs talking about feeling neglected)
compensation
one makes up for real or perceived deficiencies (ex. a person who stutters becomes great writer)
conversion
repressed urge is expressed disguised as a disturbance of body function, usually of sensory, voluntary nervous system (pain, convulsions, deafness, paralysis, etc.)
decompensation
deterioration of existing defenses
denial
primitive defense; inability to acknowledge true significance of thoughts, feelings, wishes, behavior, or external reality factors that are consciously intolerable
devaluation
a person attributes exaggerated negative qualities to self or another; frequently used by people with borderline personality; split of primitive idealization
dissociation
a process that enables a person to split mental functions in a manner that allows them to express forbidden/unconscious impulses without taking responsibility for action because they are unable to remember the disowned behavior or because it isn't experienced as their own
displacement
directing an impulse, wish, or feeling toward a person or situation that is not its real object, which permits expression in a less threatening situation (ex. a man angry at his boss kicks his dog)
idealization
overestimation of an admired aspect or attribute of another
identification
a person patterns him/herself after a significant other; major role in personality development (especially superego)
identification with the aggressor
can involve behaving like the aggressor, adopting aggressor's power to master anxiety, counteract helplessness feelings, and to feel powerful oneself
incorporation
primitive mechanism in which psychic representation of a person (or parts) is figuratively ingested
inhibition
loss of motivation to engage in usually pleasurable activity because it might stir up conflict over forbidden impulses (ex. writing, learning, or work blocks; social shyness)
introjection
loved or hated external objects are symbolically absorbed within self; opposite of projection
intellectualization
person avoids uncomfortable emotion by focusing on facts and logic; emotions considered irrelevant; jargon used to focus on words (vs emotions)
isolation of affect
unacceptable impulse, idea, or act is separated from its original memory source = removing original emotional charge associated with it
projection
primitive defense; attributing one's own disowned attitudes, wishes, feelings, and urges to some external object or person
projective identification
unconsciously perceiving other's behavior as a reflection of one's own identity; used by people with borderline personality disorder
rationalization
giving believable explanation for irrational behavior; motivated by unacceptable unconscious wishes or by defenses used to cope with such wishes
reaction formation
person adopts affects, ideas, attitudes, or behaviors that are opposites of those he/she harbors consciously or unconsciously (ex. being super sweet to mask unconscious anger)
regression
partial or symbolic return to more infantile patterns of reacting or thinking
repression
amnesia or symptomatic forgetting serving to banish unacceptable ideas, fantasies, affects, impulses from consciousness
splitting
a person sees self and others as either all good or all bad; protects the good objects but hinders integration of good and bad; common in borderline personality disorder
sublimation
potentially maladaptive feelings or behaviors are diverted into socially acceptable, adaptive channels (ex. anger -> athletics)
substitution
unattainable or unacceptable goal, emotion, or object is replaced by one more attainable or acceptable
symbolization
a mental representation stands for some other thing, class of things, or attribute; usually unconscious
turning against self
defense to deflect hostile aggression or other unacceptable impulses from another to self
undoing
a person uses words or actions to symbolically reverse or negate unacceptable thoughts, feelings, or actions (ex. compulsive washing of hands to deal with obsessive thoughts)
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