Premium Essay

Defense Mechanisms

In:

Submitted By juliennedelino
Words 683
Pages 3
Primitive Defense Mechanisms
1. Denial * Someone told you that your loved one died but, you refused to believe it, you still keep her clothes clean and wait for her to come home. * A friend told you that she saw your boyfriend with another girl in the cinema, and you refuse to believe it, you make yourself believe that maybe it was just his friend, sister, or cousin. * You’re friends told you to join a singing contest but, you refused, because you think you will never succeed, and there are better singers than you that will also join.
2. Acting Out * Your girlfriend broke up with you and you got mad that you punched the mirror and somehow it made you feel better. * Someone says or does something that makes you feel offended in some way. You lash out at them with loud verbal taunts or you attack them physically * You ask your parents or guardians to do something. They say no. You do that “fake crying” that often results in your parents giving in to your request.
3. Projection * You have a strong dislike for someone; you might instead believe that he or she does not like you. * Your group presentation failed because you didn’t bring some materials that are needed but, you blamed another person. * John was caught by her wife having an affair but, he blames his wife because she doesn’t have time for him anyway. Less Primitive Defense Mechanism
1. Repression * A child who is abused by a parent later has no recollection of the events, but has trouble forming relationships. * An optimist remembers the past with a rosy glow and constantly repeats mistakes. * A man has a phobia of spiders but cannot remember the first time he was afraid of them.
2. Displacement * A man wins the lottery. He turns to the person next to him and gives the person a big kiss. * A woman, rejected by her boyfriend, goes out with

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Defense Mechanisms

...reality of being a murderer and being responsible for the death of his family. At the end, Andrew became mentally ill himself for refusing to accept reality. This is the story of the Movie “Shutter Island” which is an example for what is called “Defense Mechanisms” and how they have a huge effect on our lives. Due to the fact that everyday people are faced with problems, stress, conflict and emotional pain, the mind needs to be protected against these painful feelings. As a result, “Defense Mechanisms” play an important role during these times in order to protect the mind from Stress and Anxiety by “unconsciously” denying reality and refusing it. Although Defense Mechanisms have positive side that they protect the individual against painful thoughts and experiences but using them without awareness can be destructive. “Defense Mechanisms” were researched by Sigmund Freud who’s an Austrian neurologist who became well known as “Father of Psychoanalysis”. Freud defined “Defense Mechanisms” as people’s unconscious behavior to cope with distress and anxiety; in other words they are ways that people use “unconsciously” to escape from painful experiences which they do not want to deal with or think about. Freud identified some types of “Defense Mechanisms” that can be used by a person while trying to defend himself against...

Words: 2819 - Pages: 12

Premium Essay

Defense Mechanisms

...Repression occurs when a person unconsciously holds back unwanted or stressful emotions to protect themselves from reliving or acknowledging an experience. A subject can repress certain thoughts in whole or partially depending on the extent of the trauma. While attending this class I have realized that since my early teens, I have been repressing emotions that stem from sexual abuse by a person who was both a family friend and our church pastor. This realization was brought to the forefront because my wife and children enjoy attending church services and participating in church related activities, while I will make up excuses to not attend. My lack of attendance at church is a frequent subject in our household and the cause of more than a few heated discussions. The thought of going to a church service makes me uneasy and I do it only after much prodding from my wife, but even then I only go for a couple of weeks before I start making excuses again. It was after one of these discussions that I decided to use the things I had read and try to understand why I don’t like going to church. That’s when I recognized the correlation between the abuse and my lack of interest in church. Now that I recognize my apprehension toward going to church services is because I’m trying to avoid the emotions from the abuse I am going to re-evaluate my views on attending church services. Who knows, maybe I’ll like going and that will make my wife happy and relieve some stress between us. I’m not...

Words: 1326 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Mature Defense Mechanisms

...Mature defense mechanisms are defined by a healthy and conscious relationship with reality. Uncomfortable feelings and thoughts are deliberately transformed into less threatening forms rather than being pushed aside. People decide and choose to cope using mature defense mechanisms; they don't just occur spontaneously. One form of a mature defense mechanism is suppression, which is a conscious form of repression. You choose to not engage or talk about upset feelings or thoughts. You are aware of them and not intimidated by them overly, but just decide to put off dealing with them for a while. You acknowledge the impulses, and we accept their presence and the fact that they might emerge again, to be reconciled or suppressed then. For example: "I'm mad at my mom, but it won't help to tell her that at this family party. I'll save this revelation for a time when we can speak about it privately". Another form is sublimation; Uncomfortable feelings and thoughts are transformed when a person chooses to take the energy behind these feelings and thoughts and put it towards a different, constructive purpose. For example: "I'm mad at my father, but instead of yelling at him (which won't help things), I’m going to do homework." Sublimation can also be done with humor or fantasy. Humor, when used as a defense mechanism, is the channeling of unacceptable impulses or thoughts into a light-hearted story or joke. Humor reduces the intensity of a situation, and places a cushion of laughter between...

Words: 556 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Five Defense Mechanisms Examples

...Events related to Defense Mechanism Denial: when my grandfather passed away, I was told about it while I was still in university and after hearing it I went back to the lounge and laughed with my friends as if nothing happened. Projection: I’ve been wanting to eat healthy and stop eating junk food but I still do eat junk food and every time I see my brother having junk food I lecture him about how unhealthy and bad it, same thing happens when he asks for it. Repression: once my parents were having a fight and I just put my head phones on and started watching a movie as if nothing was happening and to this day I remember doing it but not to the extent that my sister remembers it. She says that my parents almost had a divorce but I remember it as a normal fight. Regression: when my younger brother was born. I started wanting to drink from the bottle again and sleep next to my parents. Reaction Formation: In school a lot of my classmates were super religious and had a strong opinion on praying like a person should force themselves to pray so they can be good Muslims but I don’t agree with that, I do miss prayers because I feel like a person should want to pray and it’s more than just getting the “job” done but I never said anything and would agree with them. Displacement: once before a wedding I didn’t like the way I did my hair and when my sister came to help me with my makeup I started screaming at her and telling her she’s doing things wrongly and it was because of her...

Words: 294 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Defense Mechanisms At Lunch: A Psychological Analysis

...Defense mechanisms are coping techniques used by the ego to mediate conflict and create balance. When the ego is in conflict and experiences either real or perceived threats the ego seeks to protect against the conflict and employs defense mechanisms. Defense mechanisms function at an unconscious level with “the specific mechanisms that are employed reflect the ego’s evaluation of the perceived danger” (Berzoff, Flanagan, & Hertz, 2016, p. 74). Defense Mechanisms at Lunch When anxiety occurs defenses mechanisms, which are ranked in order of unhealthiest or lower level responses to healthiest or higher level responses, are employed based on the egos reaction to the stressor. Displacement Prior to lunch with friends, Henry receives unfavorable...

Words: 784 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Defense Mechanisms

...MICROBIOLOGIA PRIMER PARCIAL Estudio de los organismos vivos  Virus, Bacterias, Parásitos y Hongos VIRUS HONGOS    Organismo más pequeño conocido Compuesto de ADN o ARN (Nunca ambos) Rodeado por una capa proteica    Gran tamaño Más complejos que bacterias Material genético organizado  Núcleo  Parásitos intracelulares estrictos  Regulación proteica regulada por el retículo endoplásmico BACTERIAS  Mayor tamaño    Contienen ADN y ARN Información genética NO organizada dentro del núcleo División libre  Excepto Chlamydia y Rickettsias (Son intracelulares estrictos)  Pared Celular o Gram (+)  Peptidoglicano grueso  Carece de lípidos y proteínas  Contienen ácidos teicoicos  Virulencia  Carbohidratos  Constituyen la capsula (Resistencia a fagocitos) o Gram (-)  Más agresivas  Peptidoglicano delgado  Pared celular con 2 capas   Espacio periplasmático  Enzimas hidrolíticas  Destruyen  Membrana externa: Filtro molecular que regula la entrada de moléculas de 700 Daltons, tiene una capa externa compuesta por lipopolisacaridos (LPS)  LPS: Molécula anfipática (Extremo hidrofóbico y otro hidrofílico), contiene toxinas termoestables que pueden producir la muerte dentro de 2 a 3 horas, causa agregación plaquetaria, es pirógeno y compuesta por 3 regiones. 1. Lípido A hidrofóbico  Parte exterior del LPS  Endotoxina que produce shock séptico 2. Polisacárido Central  Une lípido A –...

Words: 4174 - Pages: 17

Premium Essay

Denial Defense Mechanism

...When you personally know someone who is an addict, you get very familiar with defense mechanisms. Truthfully, this is one of the driving forces behind me wanting to get a degree in Psychology. I grew up with a mother for an addict, and this has led into some of my siblings struggling with addiction as well. The denial defense mechanism is greatly used. I have frequently heard them say that they don't have a problem, that they hardly use and sometimes they flat out lie and say that they don't use at all. It is truly hard to even reason or get through to someone who is in complete denial and I have yet figured out how to. I sometimes think that my sister may use the identification defense mechanism. Right now she isn't making the best life...

Words: 293 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Defense Mechanism Vs Religion

...and superego. As a result, defense mechanism is developed. Defense mechanism is usually compared to religion beliefs. Many psychologist had a negative view to defense mechanism, however, as people look at a different point of view, defense mechanism had benefits to a person, like religion, the beliefs are the mind sustenances. Freud believed that if the patient could come out from his or her trauma, defense mechanism would soon reduced and would not affect the patient. Defense mechanism functions unconsciously and help to wipe off the pressure or unpleasant feelings and experience. Defense mechanism also enlarges the good feelings and things in order to make individual feel better. As the defense mechanism affects the patient seriously, the patient becomes unrealistic and is out of touch with the life the patient had before. The reason defense mechanism is developed is the memories and experience oneself wants to forget or get rid of. As individual had the thought of forgetting these memories, defense...

Words: 435 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Module 4 Defense Mechanisms

...Brenda Crain Sept. 14, 2014 Writing Module 2 Exmplification Essay final draft Marriage Versus living together I choose this topic because it is a difficult decision that many of us make in todays world. Statistics say that married people are healthier, happier, live longer, have higher income, less violence and more fulfilled then couples living together. I feel it may be true for some couples but not all. Couples might choose to live together instead of geeting married because one has a huge amount of debt. Marrying them will have collection agencies going after their money. When you are married both incomes are counted when applying for grants, loans and state help. Its somtimes much easier not to marry, rather thann not ge help ones family needs because of combined incomes. I think couples might choose to live together without marriage because of their financial situation. Now in days people can not make ends meet living alone. Some couples live together in case the marriage does not work. They do not have to worry about cost of divorce and all the paper work that is involved. Now in days most of the population live together firs before becoming marry. I know young people age around 18 and 20 are more likely to move in together or start a relationship faster than older adults. This day in time alot of adults are waiting later years to make this commitments. Because of younger age lack of maturity. My...

Words: 484 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Defense Mechanisms and the Movie Shutter Island

...types of defense mechanisms do we use on a regular basis to avoid reality? How positive are they? Andrew Laeddis is the main character in the movie Shutter Island. He suffers from schizophrenia and many other mental problems. The trigger happened after one day he came back home from work and discovered that his wife had killed his three children. She was mentally ill and felt no remorse for what she just did so Andrew killed her. As a result of such traumatic experience, he unconsciously invented another self, created another story in which someone else had committed his wife’s and his own crime. He even denied having any children. At the end he drives himself crazy, and ends up in a mental institution. It’s also important to mention that he went to war and he had lived traumatic experiences prior to his family’s murder. This is a great example for what is called “’defense mechanisms” and how they affect our lives. Everyday people are faced with problems, traumas, difficulties and emotional (and even physical) pain. The mind, in order to protect itself from pain, usually creates these defense mechanisms such as denial, habit, behavioral changes, isolation of affect, etc. Even though defense mechanisms can be positive for protecting the individual against trauma, they can be extremely destructive in using them without awareness and control. Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud researched defense mechanisms...

Words: 363 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

A Survey of Sql Injection Defense Mechanisms

...A Survey of SQL Injection Defense Mechanisms Kasra Amirtahmasebi, Seyed Reza Jalalinia and Saghar Khadem Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden akasra, seyedj, saghar{@student.chalmers.se} Abstract SQL Injection Attack (SQLIA) is a prevalent method which makes it possible for the attackers to gain direct access to the database and culminates in extracting sensitive information from the firm’s database. In this survey, we have presented and analyzed six different SQL Injection prevention techniques which can be used for securing the data storage over the Internet. The survey starts by presenting Variable Normalization and will continue with AMNESIA, Prepared statements, SQL DOM, SQLrand and SQLIA prevention in stored procedures respectively. that determining whether a SQL statement is allowable or not is done by checking the existence of normalized statement in the ready-sorted allowable list. 2.1. Background Many web pages ask users to input some data and make a SQL queries to the database based on the information received from the user i.e. username and passwords. By sending crafted input a malicious user can change the SQL statement structure and execute arbitrary SQL commands on the vulnerable system. Consider the following username and password example, in order to login to the web site, the user inputs his username and password, by clicking on the submit button the following SQL query is generated: SELECT * FROM user_table WHERE user_id = ‘john’ and password...

Words: 5643 - Pages: 23

Premium Essay

Defense Mechanism & Psychographic Segmentation in Term of Bangladeshi Advertisement

...Psychographic segmentation: The psychographic profile of a consumer segment can be thought of as a composite of consumers measured activities interest & opinions (AIOs). In term of Psychographic segmentation, Consumer responses to a large number of statements those measures…… Activities: how the family spending time? Example: golfing, volunteering to a local blood bank. Interest: the consumer’s family preferences & priorities. Example: Ecstasy for cloth & Pizza hut for party. Opinions: how the consumers fell about a wide variety of events & political issues, the state of the economy AIO Psychographic segmentation use a battery of statements designed to identify relevant aspects of a consumer’s personality, buying motives, interest, attitudes, beliefs & values. Three advertisements that are targeted at a particular Psychographic segment…….. Bata [pic] In these advertise, It is trying to capture the market by highlighting Bangla culture & tradition; It promoting that consumer should buy sandal & shoes from bata for celebrating Bangla New Year. In term of segmentation, these advertise shows & promotes Consumers activities: celebrating pohela boishakh , Consumer’s interest: trying to capture the family preference by showing several of sandals that they have. Frutika juice [pic] In these advertise, It is trying to capture the market by promoting that their juices have extra pureness In term of segmentation, these...

Words: 781 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Case Studies

... When questioned later individually, it is learned that one of the girls had a rough phone call with her mother and found out her father would not be visiting her. Another of the girls had a similar experience, as her parents visited during the week and she did not "get along" with them. Finally, the girl accused of ruining the project was just admitted and angry at her parents for placing her in treatment. One of the behavioral techs redirected the girls to playing sports and painting. The girls seem to calm down and de-escalate. What defense mechanism (s) is the three girls utilizing and why? Explain. Are there any other defense mechanisms at work here? Explain. There are many different defense mechanisms out there so for the purpose of this assignment we will use Freud’s defense mechanisms in an attempt to explain the behavior. In this scenario, the three girls appear to be exhibiting the displacement defense mechanism. In displacement, the individual focuses unwanted feelings, urges, and emotions on someone or something besides the actual cause of said urge (Feist, 2009). In this example, the girls are angry with their parents, but do not want to admit this so they take out their anger on each other instead of feeling anxiety due to the true nature of their anger. The treatment option of the behavioral tech seems to be a form of sublimation because they direct the unwanted urges or...

Words: 1395 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

Movie Guide Life as a House

...George and Sam It is to observe a few different defense mechanisms in the relationship between George and Sam, such as: avoidance, distancing, reaction formation. On the scene when George told to Sam about his problem with cancer, Sam shows a mixture between distancing and reaction formation. Distancing is evident because Sam goes to looking for Alyssa, and we can observe the reaction formation the moment that Sam cries with Alyssa, a clear signal that shows his real feelings about George's problem. Those reactions avoid a closer encounter between George and Sam at the first time, but I guess that were important to Sam to take his time in order to clarify his ideas and feelings about the bad news and the future of his relationship with George. 2) Relationship #2: George and Robin George and Robin are divorced, at the beginning of the movie they had a distant relationship this situation change when George and Robin work together restoring the house. There are different deffense mechanisms in their relationship, such as: avoidance, sarcasm, formula communication. On the scene when George arrives to Robin's house looking for to Sam, the first conversation between George and Robin can be classified as a formula communication because they avoid a deep dialogue about Sam, and at the end of the whole scene when both are with Sam we can see a little sarcasm when Robin says that take to Sam such a good father. The deffense mechanisms present on the scene related, make the communication...

Words: 468 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Anxiety

...Anxiety and Defense Mechanisms Mariel-Pauleane Gomez PSYC 393-2 September 29, 2015 My definition of anxiety is when you are experiencing an overwhelming amount of stress, but do not know the cause of it, to the point where it is interfering with your everyday activities. Freud’s understanding of anxiety is the feeling of fear without an obvious cause. My definition and Freud’s understanding of anxiety are similar to one another. Our definitions of anxiety both mention how when a person is experiencing anxiety, they not know exactly why they are experiencing it. Freud proposed that there are three types of anxiety: reality, neurotic, and moral anxiety. For myself, I think that there is only one type of anxiety, but there are different levels of it. I believe that it depends on how long the person copes or overcomes their anxiety. The longer it takes for a person to overcome anxiety, the more serious their anxiety is. When a person is experiencing anxiety, I believe that they are feeling helpless, like an infant or baby. Freud mentions that when one is experiencing anxiety, regardless of age, they are also feeling helpless. Freudian defense mechanisms ranked in order of primitive to more advanced: denial, repression, projection, reaction formation, regression, displacement, rationalization, and finally sublimation. I ranked denial as the most primitive defense mechanisms because I consider this the most generic defense mechanism because it underlies many of the other...

Words: 929 - Pages: 4