Examples
Ex. Someone can’t remember a traumatic childhood event, even though it affects their behavior.
Repression
Not accepting reality
Denial
Making excuses to justify behavior
Rationalization
Unconsciously incorporatng the characteristics of another individual into one’s own psyche.
Identification
Someone thinks a new partner is “perfect” and can do no wrong.
Idealization
Ex. An adult throws a tantrum or pouts when things don’t go their way.
Regression
Pushing painful thoughts out of awareness (without realizing it)
Repression
Acting younger than your age when stressed
Regression
Undervaluing someone, often as a response to feeling threatened.q
Devaluation
Someone acts completely differently at work vs. home, keeping those identities separate.
Compartmentalization
Ex. A person who is angry accuses others by saying, “Why are you always so mad at me?”
Projection
Blaming others for your own feelings
Projection
Thinking instead of feeling
Intellectualization
After a breakup, someone only talks about “statistics on relationships” instead of their feelings.
Intellectualization
A person under stress develops headaches or stomachaches with no medical cause.
Somaticization
Ex. Someone gets yelled at by their boss, then goes home and snaps at their family.
Displacement
Taking feelings out on someone/something else
Displacement
Choosing to ignore something for now
Suppression
Viewing people & situations as all good or all bad, without recognizing the complexity of the situation.
Splitting
After a breakup, they say, “They were never that great anyway.”
Devaluation
Someone with aggressive urges takes up boxing or intense exercise.
Sublimination
Taking feelings out on someone/something else
Reaction Formation
Turning negative urges into something positive
Sublimation
Stress showing up as physical symptoms
Somatization
“I didn’t get the job because they didn’t know what they were doing anyway.”
Rationalization