Narcissistic-Psychotic and Immature Defense Mechanisms (Vocabulary Flashcards)

Vocabulary flashcards covering Narcissistic-Psychotic and Immature defenses with term-definition pairs.

Projection (Narcissistic-Psychotic)

Attributing one's own unacceptable thoughts or feelings to others; in psychosis may appear as persecutory delusions and misinterpretation of one’s own and others’ feelings.

Denial

Avoiding, negating, or distorting reality; example includes seeing but refusing to acknowledge what one sees or hearing and negating what was heard.

Distortion

Grossly reshaping the experience of external reality to fit inner needs; may involve delusions, grandiose beliefs, or hallucinatory content.

Acting Out

Immature defense in which impulses are expressed through actions rather than through reflection or thought; behaviors are impulsive and often short-lived.

Acting In

Turning unacceptable impulses inward; directing aggression or hostility toward oneself rather than others.

Blocking

Temporary inhibition of the thought process (e.g., a long pause or inability to recall what was being said) where thinking is literally blocked.

Hypochondriasis

Transforming reproach, loneliness, or anxiety into somatic complaints; excessive preoccupation with having a serious illness to avoid responsibility or distress.

Introjection

Internalization of characteristics of another object to maintain closeness or reduce anxiety; can involve guilty self-punishment (‘self-punishing introject’).

Passive-Aggressive Behavior

Aggression toward an object expressed indirectly through passivity, masochism, or turning aggression onto oneself.

Projection (Immature)

Attributing one’s own unwanted thoughts or feelings to others in an immature, nonpsychotic manner; a way of displacing internal states outward.

Regression

Returning to an earlier developmental stage to avoid anxiety or conflict, often displaying immature or childlike behavior.

Schizoid Fantasy

Tendency to retreat into fantasy or autistic withdrawal to resolve conflicts and obtain gratification.

Somatization

Defensive conversion of psychic distress into bodily symptoms; tendency to react with somatic rather than psychic manifestations (desomatization/resomatization noted in development).