DEFENSE MECHANISMS

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altruism

transforming feelings and emotions by helping someone who is experiencing something similar.

ex: client who’s child passed in a drunk driver car accident works with a local group to support others who have also lost their children to drunk drivers.

conversion

an unconscious process that transforms psychological stress into physical symptoms

ex: client experiences temporary blindness after catching their partner cheating.

compensation

the replacement or creation of strengths in a specific skillset to offset real or perceived weaknesses in another area. can be positive if used as an adaptation, or negative if used as an escape mechanism or tool for avoidance.

good ex:a client breaks their leg and is unable to play their favorite sport; while recovering, they develop a skill set in chess

bad ex:a nurse who is afraid of working with children decides to specialize in adult intensive care to avoid children

denial

dismissing a situation as not being true or based in reality. can be positive when dismissing fake yet stressful situations, and bad when dismissing truthful and stressful situations.

good ex: a client is unable to sleep after creating a bad scenario in their head. they decide to get up and watch a movie to get their mind off the situation and eventually fall asleep

bad ex: a client is told they have a terminal illness, and they believe the provider mixed up their clients and does not believe the dx is correct.

dissociation

temporary disruption in consciousness that affects the individuals perception of their environment, memory, or identity that results in a separation of self and those unpleasant thoughts or feelings into an inaccessible part of one’s psyche.

good ex: student taking an exam feels cold and temporarily stops processing the feelings of being cold to focus on the exam

bad ex: client who was recently involved in a motor accident is unable to recall details about the event or their identity.

displacement

redirecting unacceptable feelings or thoughts about the stressor to a less threatening target.

ex: a client who is angry at their boss directs their anger towards their spouse, a perceived less threatening target.

identification

assuming the characteristics of another individual.

good ex: client acts and thinks like their parent would when faced with a flat tire

bad ex: child witnesses domestic violence at home and begins to harm other children at school

intellectualization

concealing or abstractly processing emotions by means of excessive intellectual analysis or activity.

good ex: nurse blocks out the emotional aspect of caring for a victim of violence to prioritize and focus on the clients needs

bad ex: client who was recently s3xually assaulted seeks info on the psychological development of perpetrators and their victims

projection

a person's painful thoughts or emotions about themselves, something they have done, or the way they are feeling are projected to other people, places, or situations.

ex: a child who consistently lies to their parent assumes that their parent lies consistently as well

rationalization

using reasoning and logic to avoid or explain the stressor or their actions and avoid their own emotions.

good ex:a client who feels humiliated during a presentation states “the audience must be silent because they are interested in what I have to say”

bad ex: after surviving an episode of abuse, a victim states “this would not have happened if I just paid more attention to the perpetrators needs”

reaction formation

the replacement of unacceptable thoughts or feelings with the opposite emotion or thought.

good ex:a client who is attempting to stop their substance use is often heard teaching others about the dangers of substance use

bad ex:a client is having difficulty expressing their identity to their peers and begins to act and speak in opposite characteristics of how they actually identify.

regression

a return to a previous developmental stage of behavioral, cognitive, or emotional functioning

good ex: client comes home from work after a stressful day and decides to watch their favorite childhood television show.

bad ex: one person in an argument begins to yell and throw objects at the other person.

repression

a person that avoids thinking or talking about stressors, who can admit certain feelings about the stressor but cannot think about what led up to the feeling or cause of the stressor

good ex: client is providing the eulogy at their cousin’s funeral. After feelings of intense sadness, the client unconsciously decides to tell a funny story about when they were children.

bad ex: a client cannot remember being abused as a child but has a problem developing relationships

splitting

the inability to accept that an individual can have both good and poor aspects but believes someone is all “bad” or all “good"

ex: a client is discussing a staff member who set clear boundaries and sees this staff member as “awful and a poor excuse for a nurse.”

sublimation

feelings and emotions that are changed when the individual chooses to take the energy behind these feelings and put them toward a constructive purpose

ex: a client is feeling emotionally exhausted after a stressful day at work and decides to go for a walk after they get home.

suppression

a conscious (voluntary or purposeful) effort where the individual chooses to inhibit or control unwanted thoughts or feelings caused by the stressor.

good ex: a client who is angry at their parent but refuses to let it spoil a family holiday celebration.

bad ex: a client who is unable to work due to a recent surgery states that they will worry about paying their bills once they are fully recovered.

undoing

an attempt to remove unpleasant thoughts or emotions by engaging in the opposite behavior that caused the initial stress.

good ex: a client accidentally breaks their siblings favorite toy and saves up money to purchase their sibling a replacement toy.

bad ex: a client showers their partner with affection after physically abusing them