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Understanding Defense Mechanisms in Psychology: Concepts and Examples

Defense mechanisms are psychological strategies used to manage anxiety and protect the self from uncomfortable emotions. They distort reality through various unconscious methods. This overview discusses eight common defense mechanisms, including repression, regression, and denial, illustrating how individuals cope with stress and internal conflict. Each mechanism serves a unique function, such as pushing away anxious thoughts or redirecting aggressive impulses. Understanding these mechanisms helps clarify behavior and emotional responses in ourselves and others.

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Understanding Defense Mechanisms in Psychology: Concepts and Examples

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  1. AP Psychology By Simone Watts DEFENSE MECHANISMS

  2. Table of Contents • What is a defense mechanism • Repression • Regression • Reaction Formation • Projection • Rationalization • Displacement • Sublimation • Denial

  3. What is a defense mechanism? • They help reduce or redirect anxiety • Distort reality • There are 8 common ones • More Info http://changingminds.org/explanations/behaviors/coping/defense_mechanisms.htm

  4. Repression • To push away memories, thoughts or feelings that cause anxiety • Underlies all the other defense mechanisms • Freud believed repressed urges seep out in dreams or slips of the tongue

  5. Regression • To go to more infantile stages of development • May retreat to the psychosexual stages • Ex. Homesick college students wanting security and comfort

  6. Reaction Formation • Making unacceptable impulse look like their opposites • Takes place in the ego • Ex. Changing feelings of hate to feelings of love

  7. Projection • Pushing threatening impulses on others • Ex. I hate him “You hate me” • Ex. A thief thinking everyone else is a thief

  8. Rationalization • Self-justifying our own actions • To hide from ourselves the real reasons for our action • Ex. Habitual drinkers may say they drink “just to be social”

  9. Displacement • Changes sexual and aggressive impulses to more acceptable feelings • Ex. Students upset about a test snapping at a friend • Ex. A child mad their parents kicking the dog

  10. Sublimation • Changing unacceptable impulses to acceptable feelings • Socially adaptive • Sign of maturity

  11. Denial • When people refuse to believe reality • Rejecting a fact or its seriousness • Ex. Patients denying the seriousness of their illness

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