Defense Mechanism

Repression: Blocking painful thoughts, memories, and feelings.

ex: A traumatized soldier has no recollection of the details of a near death experience.

Regression: Retreating to a more infantile/former or less developed state; reverting to earlier, more immature behaviors or patterns of thinking and coping in response to stress or anxiety.

ex: A man is exploring a haunted house maze when he gets startled and wets his pants while sucking his thumb.

Projection: Where an individual attributes their own thoughts, feelings, and behaviors to others - often done unconsciously to avoid acknowledging/confronting their own unacceptable traits or emotions. 

ex: A man who feels insecure about his masculinity mocks other men for acting like women.

Rationalization: Self-justifying explanations of one’s behaviors, thoughts, or feelings with logical reasons to avoid confronting uncomfortable truths, and to protect their ego from guilt and discomfort. 

ex: A student plays video games instead of studying, saying that “additional studying wouldn’t do any good anyway.”

Sublimination: Transforming unacceptable impulses into socially acceptable behaviors.

ex: After a very frustrating and stressful day at work with the new supervisor, the woman goes to the gym to work out.

Denial: Refusing to acknowledge, accept, believe, or perceive painful realities.

ex: A woman insists that her partner will come back, even after the relationship has ended.

Displacement: Redirecting one’s feelings or behaviors from their original source to a substitute.

ex: After getting scolded, a young girl takes her anger out on her little sister.

Reaction Formation: Where one acts in a way that's the opposite of their true feelings.

ex: After getting rejected by his crush, the boy’s friend brings it up only for him to say he was never romantically interested in the first place and never found her attractive.