psyc1101 exam 4: defense mechanisms

repression

• the master defense mechanism, the ego pushes unacceptable impulses out of awareness, back into the unconscious mind

• ex: a young girl was sexually abused. as an adult, she cant remember anything about the traumatic experience

rationalization

• the ego replaces a less acceptable motive with a more acceptable one

• ex: a student does not get into the frat of his choice, he tells himself that the frat is very exclusive and that alot of students coudnt get in

displacement

• the ego shifts feelings toward an unacceptable object to another, more acceptable object

• a woman cant take her anger out on her boss, so she goes home and takes it out on her husband

sublimation

• the ego replaces an unacceptable impulse with a socially acceptable one

• a man with strong sexual urges becomes an artist who paint nudes

regression

• the ego seeks the security of an earlier developmental period in the face of stress

• a woman returns home to mother every time she and her husband have a big argument

projection

• the ego attributes personal shortcomings, problems, and faults to others

• a man who has a strong desire to have an extramarital affair accuses his wife of flirting with other men

reaction formation

• the ego transforms an unacceptable motive into its opposite

• a woman who fears her sexual urges becomes a religious zealot

denial

• the ego refuses to acknowledge anxiety-producing realities

• a man wont acknowledge that he has cancer even though a team of doctors has diagnosed his cancer