Defense Mechanisms (List)

Question 1

Denial

Answer 1

Refusing reality

Question 2

Projection

Answer 2

Attributing your own unacceptable thoughts, feelings onto someone else

Question 3

Regression

Answer 3

Acting child-like to escape anxiety

Question 4

Repression

Answer 4

Memories, feelings assoicated with painful experience are excluded from conciousness

Question 5

Identification

Answer 5

Assume traits of another person to protect against the distress that person may cause you

Question 6

Reaction Formation

Answer 6

Managing unacceptable thoughts, feelings by exaggerating opposite behaviors

Question 7

Isolation of Affect

Answer 7

Seperating ideas from the feelings originally associated with them

Question 8

Intellecualization

Answer 8

Avoid painful feelings of situation by focusing on parallel, abstract topic

Question 9

Displacement

Answer 9

Redirect emotion from original target to acceptable substitute

Question 10

Sublimination

Answer 10

Divert unacceptable drives into socially acceptable channel

Question 11

Altruism

Answer 11

Acting kind, concerned to alleviate lack of fufillment

Question 12

Supression

Answer 12

Conscious decision to postpone paying attention to unpleasent subject

Question 13

Humor

Answer 13

Joking to diffuse a tense/ sad situation