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What are defense mechanisms?
Mental and emotional responses everybody uses to protect from painful experiences and feelings.
Involves a person adopting the thoughts and behaviors of a person who has power over them.
Identification
When people convert their emotions into psychosomatic (Physical) symptoms
Conversion (Somatization)
Thinking you are sick as a way to avoid dealing with a situation
Hypochondriasis
Thinking of a situation in a non-emotional term
Intellectualizing
What are primitive defense mechanisms?
Defense mechanisms that are the first to occur developmentally
This involves black-and-white thinking, and being unable to reconcile the positive and negative aspects of a person or a situation.
Splitting (Devaluation and idealization)
Not being able to see the reality of a current situation, past actions, or the impact of consequences
Denial
What are mature defense mechanisms?
Mature defense mechanisms may be more helpful and inflict less harm upon yourself and others.
A way to camouflage or avoid something we cannot do well by excelling at something else.
Compensation
Channeling feelings into safe and acceptable channels
Sublimation
Expressing to one person or thing what you feel toward another
Displacement
What is distortion?
Involves a person believing something to be true when it is not.
Putting something into a different light or offering a different explanation for one's perceptions or behaviors in the face of a changing reality
Rationalizing
People try to be aware of any challenges that may be coming up for them, and work to create solutions to these challenges before they happen
Anticipation
When a person behaves poorly to distract themselves and others away from whatever is distressing them.
Acting Out.
This is a form of manipulation that seeks to sow seeds of doubt in a targeted individual or group.
Gaslighting
"Forgetting" or putting something out of your conscious mind
Repression
What are the 4 steps to control defense mechanisms?
Situation/Notice
Feelings
Choice
Defense
Seeing other people as having your problem instead of seeing it in yourself
Projections
Overcompensating by going to the opposite extreme
Reaction Formation
Making light of a serious situation or downplaying its impact on others.
Sense of humor
A person consciously chooses to ignore or push away unpleasant feelings, thoughts, or experiences.
Suppression
When a person disconnects from reality to protect themselves from painful situations
Dissociation
Wwe avoid places, people, thoughts, and memories that make us feel upset.
Avoidance