Defense Mechanisms (Adaptive and Maladaptive)

Unit 1 Exam

Affiliation

Adaptive- turning to others for help

Altruism

Adaptive- dedicating life to helping others (ex. mother’s against drunk driving)

Humor

Adaptive- finding the amusing aspect of the stressor

Intellectualization

Adaptive- use of abstract thinking to understand/ control distressing emotions

Self-Assertion

Adaptive- healthy expression of feelings and thoughts

Self- Observation

Adaptive- reflecting on one thoughts/feelings and responding appropriately

Sublimination

Adaptive- channeling maladaptive feelings into socially acceptable behavior (exercising)

Undoing

Both trying to make amends or make up for something

Acting Out

Maladaptive- using actions during emotional conflict (ex. temper tantrum)

Autistic Fantasy

Maladaptive- excessive daydreaming as substiute for human relationship

Denial

Maladaptive- refusing to acknowledge painful experience (psychotic/excessive)

Devaluation

Maladaptive attributing exaggarated negative qualities

Displacement

Maladaptive transferring feelings about/ from one object to another

Dissociation

Maladaptive breakdown in functioning of consciousness, memory, perceptions

Idealization

Maladaptive- attribtuing exaggarated positive qualities to others

Isolation of affect

Maladaptive seperating out the idea from the feelings

Passive Aggression

Maladaptive indirectly and unassertively expressing aggression, facade of overt compliance while masking covert resistance or resentment

Projection

falsely attributing to another, ones own unaccpetable feelings or attributes

Rationalization

concealing ones true motivations thorough elaboration or reassurance

Reaction Formation

Maladaptive substituting thoughts/ feelings that are opposed to one’s own unacceptable thoughts/feelings

Repression

Maladaptive expelling disturbing experiences from conscious awareness

Splitting

Maladaptive compatmentalizing opposite affect states and failing to merge or integrate the ideas ehtier all bad or all good

Suppression

Maladaptive usually conscious and intentional avodiance of thinking about disturbing experiences