Indifference; lack of interest, feeling, concern, or emotion
Apathy
Explanation that makes something negative or unacceptable seem justifiable or acceptable
Rationalism
Belief in and expression of the opposite of one’s true feelings
Reaction Formation
Transference of a person’s unpleasant ideas and emotions onto someone or something else
Projection
Adoption of the thoughts or feelings of others
Introjection
Elimination of unpleasant emotions, desires, or problems from the conscious mind
Repression
Reversion to an earlier, more childlike, developmental behavior
Regression
Transformation of an anxiety into a physical symptom that has no cause
conversion
Use of words that have the opposite meaning, especially to be funny, insulting, or irritating
Sarcasm
Voluntary blocking of an unpleasant experience from one’s awareness
Supression
Avoidance of unpleasant or anxiety-provoking situations or ideas by rejecting them or ignoring their existence
denial
“I get a severe headache every time I see my ex with his new wife.”
Conversion
“I could pass that certification test just like she did, and I haven’t even studied the material.”
Identification
Analysis of a situation with facts and not emotions
Intellectualization
Keeping away from any person, place, or object that evokes memories of something unpleasant
Physical Avoidance
“My dad says I should stand up for myself, so I am going to be more assertive.”
introjection
“She leaves more charts incomplete than I do, so why am I getting this warning?”
projection
Attribution of characteristics of someone else to oneself or the imitation of another
Identification
Cancelling out an unacceptable behavior with a symbolic gesture
Undoing
Redirection of emotions away from the original subject or object onto another, less-threatening subject or object
Displacement
“They tell me I was hurt in that robbery, but I can’t remember anything about it.”
repression
Balancing a failure or inadequacy with an accomplishment
Compensation
Verbal attack on a person without addressing the original intent of the conversation
Verbal Agression
Disconnection of emotional importance from ideas or events and compartmentalizing those emotions in different parts of awareness
Dissociation
Rechanneling unacceptable urges or drives into something constructive or acceptable
Sublimation