defense mechanism-psychology

1. MS.SNEHAL PATIL.
2ND YR P.B.B.Sc.

2. DEFINITION :
The individual has devices for
protecting himself against
psychological dangers & distress.
These protective devices are known
as ego defences or defence
mechanism or mental mechanism
or dynamism.

3. COMPENSATION:
 An attempt to make up for deficiency by directing his
energies to another aspect of one’s personality in
which no deficiency exists.

4. DISPLACEMENT:
 An emotional feeling is transferred to person or object
who are less dangerous than those who initially
aroused the emotion.

5. DENIAL:
 The individual does not accept the existence of
something that is disturbing.

6. FIXATION:
 It refers to a point of individual’s development at
which certain aspects of the emotional development is
not advance.

7. SUBSTITUTION:
 Adjustive mechanism in which original goals or desires
are substituted by others.

8. CONVERSION:
 Strong emotional conflicts are expressed or as
converted into physical symptoms.

9. IDENTIFICATION:
 Adjustment mechanism which enables one to achieve
satisfaction from the successes of other people , groups
or organization.

10. INTROJECTION:
The values & characteristics of
significant persons are incorporated in
one’s personality.
E.g. A woman who likes to live in a
simple way introjects in her the
sophisticated way, of living like her
husband.

11. REACTION FORMATION:
 The unacceptable real feelings are repressed &
acceptable opposite feelings are expressed.

12. TRANSFERENCE :
Image of one person is unconsciously
identified with that of another.
e.g. A patient who is fond of his daughter
finds the nurse of the same age &
height as his daughter. So he transfers
his positive emotions to his nurse as his
daughter.

13. SUPPRESSION:
 Voluntary postponement of focusing of attention on
an impulse which has reached conscious awareness.

14. SUBLIMATION:
 Unacceptable desires or activities are redirected into
socially desirable channels.

15. REPRESSION:
Strong emotional ideas or unpleasant
memories which do not fit in with our
social values & norms , are split off
from consciousness & thrown into the
unconscious.
e.g. a man is jealous of his success but is
unaware of his feelings of jealousy.

16. REGRESSION:
It is a mechanism of going from the
present pattern to the past level of
behaviour. The individual returns to
pattern of behaviour that were
successful in earlier stages of
development.
e.g. Tears & temper tantrums in adult.

17. RATIONALIZATION:
Providing logical explanations for
irrational behaviour motivated by
unacceptable unconscious wishes.

18. PROJECTION:
 Popular method of resolving conflict. One’s own
unacceptable feelings & thoughts are expressed as if
they are due to others.

19. INCORPORATION:
 A lost or something prohibited source of identification
is introduced into the ego structure with out
transformation of ego.
e.g. A young married woman who has referred for
treatment by her husband because of her recent crying
spells & inability to care for her home & infant. The
patient stated that she was afraid as she was like her
mother & she disliked her self for these traits of her
mother which she has incorporated with her.

20. APPLICATION IN NURSING