COMMON SELF DEFENSE MECHANISMS

APATHY

Indifference, lack of interest, feeling, concern, or emotion

COMPENSATION

Balancing failure or inadequacy with an accomplishment

CONVERSION

Transformation of an anxiety into a physical symptom that has no cause.

DENIAL

Avoidance of unpleasant or anxiety-provoking situations or ideas by rejecting them or ignoring their existence.

DISPLACEMENT

Redirection of emotions away from the original subject or object onto another, less threatening subject or object

DISSOCIATION

Disconnection of emotional importance from ideas or events and compartmentalized those emotions in different parts of awareness.

IDENTIFICATION

Attribution of character of characteristics of someone else to oneself or the imitation of another

INTROJECTION

Adoption of the thoughts or feelings of other.

PHYSICAL AVOIDANCE

Keeping away from any person, place or object that evokes memories of something unpleasant.

PROJECTION

Transference of a person’s unpleasant ideas and emotions onto someone or something else

RATIONALIZE

Explanation that makes something negative or unacceptable seem justifiable.

REACTION FORMATION

Belief in expression of the opposite of one’s true feelings

REGRESSION

Reversion to an earlier more childlike developmental behavior

REPRESSION

Elimination of unpleasant emotions desires or problems from the conscious mind.

SARCASM

Use of words that have the opposite meaning.

SUBLIMATION

Rechanneling unacceptable urges or curves into something constructive or acceptable

SUPPRESSION

Voluntary blocking of an unpleasant experience from ones awareness

UNDOING

Canceling out an unacceptable behavior with a symbolic gesture.

VERBAL AGRESSION

Verbal attack on a person without addressing the original intent of the conversion