Defense Mechanisms Ch 13

Front 1

emotional conflicts and stressors dealt with by meeting the needs of others.

Back 1

What is Altruism?

Front 2

Ex: doing grief counseling after the death of a loved one. Receiving satisfaction with helping others with grief.

Back 2

What is Altruism?

Front 3

Unconscious process of substituting constructive and socially acceptable activity for strong impulses that are not acceptable in their original form. These impulses are sexual or aggressive.

Back 3

What is sublimation?

Front 4

Ex: a man with strong hostile feelings becomes a butcher or rough contact sports…sexual aggressiveness will be expressed in gardening and painting.

Back 4

What is Sublimation?

Front 5

Ex: man goes to interview with new sx on foot. He stumbles as he walks in and states, “I was hoping I could put my best foot forward.”

Back 5

what is humor?

Front 6

dealing with emotional conflicts or stressors by emphasizing the amusing or ironic aspects of the conflict.

Back 6

what is humor?

Front 7

“conscious denial” of a disturbing situation or feeling.

Back 7

What is suppression?

Front 8

Ex: Student studying for exam states, “I can’t worry about paying my rent until after my exam tomorrow.”

Back 8

What is suppression?

Front 9

exclusion of unpleasant or unwanted experiences, emotions or ideas from conscious awareness. First line against anxiety and cornerstone defense mechanisms.

Back 9

What is repression?

Front 10

Ex: forgetting the name of a former husband and forgetting an appointment to discuss poor grades.

Back 10

What is repression?

Front 11

transfer of emotions associated with a particular person, object or situation to another person, object or situation that is nonthreatening.

Back 11

What is displacement?

Front 12

Ex: boss yells at the man, the man yells at his wife, the wife yells at the child, and the child kicks the cat. (Spousal, child and elderly abuse)

Back 12

What is displacement?

Front 13

“overcompensation” unacceptable feelings or behaviors are kept out of awareness by developing the opposite behavior or emotion.

Back 13

What is reaction formation?

Front 14

Ex: Person harbors bad feelings for children becomes a boy scout leader.

Back 14

What is reaction formation?

Front 15

transforming anxiety on an unconscious level into physical symptom that has no organic cause. Use these s/s functions as attention getter or as an excuse.

Back 15

Somatization?

Front 16

Ex: professor has laryngitis when he has to defend a research proposal to a group of peers.

Back 16

Somatization?

Front 17

make up for an act or communication (giving a gift to undo an argument).

Back 17

Undoing?

Front 18

Ex: compulsive hand washing – cleansing oneself of an act or thought perceived as unacceptable.

Back 18

Undoing?

Front 19

justifying illogical or unreasonable ideas, actions, or feelings or developing acceptable explanations that satisfy the teller as well as the listener. This is a form of deception.

Back 19

What is rationalization?

Front 20

Ex: “Everybody cheats so why shouldn’t I?” or “If I had Lynn’s brains, I’d get good grades too.”

Back 20

What is rationalization?

Front 21

deals with emotional conflict or stressors by indirectly and unassertively expressing aggression toward others. On the surface, there is an appearance of compliance that masks covert resistance, resentment, and hostility. Occur in assigned tasks or demands for independent action, responsibilities or obligation

Back 21

Passive Aggression

Front 22

 Ex: Procrastination, failure, inefficiency, passivity, illnesses that affect others more than oneself. Constantly promising to do a presentation but fails to bring information, calling in sick on day of presentation.

Back 22

Passive Aggression

Front 23

 Ex: lashing out in anger verbally or physically distract self from threatening thoughts or feelings (powerlessness). Verbal or physical expression of anger can make a person feel temporarily less helpless or vulnerable (more powerful and more in control).

Back 23

Acting out behavior

Front 24

dealing with emotional conflicts or stressors by actions rather than reflections or feelings. Lashing out can transfer the focus from personal doubts and insecurities to some other person or object. Destructive coping style.

Back 24

acting out behavior

Front 25

a disruption in the usually integrated functions of consciousness, memory, identity, or perception of the environment.

Back 25

Dissociation

Front 26

Ex: mother sees son run over by car and cannot remember what happened.

Back 26

Dissociation

Front 27

Ex: Being jealous of a coworker winning an award and stating that the awards mean nothing.

Back 27

Devaluation

Front 28

occurs when emotional conflicts or stressors are dealt with by attributing negative qualities to self or others. When devaluing another, the individual then appears good by contrast.

Back 28

Devaluation

Front 29

Ex: A woman meets a man who she thinks is perfect and then finds out that he has flaws.

Back 29

Idealization

Front 30

emotional conflicts or stressors are dealt with by attributing exaggerated positive qualities to others. Important aspect for the development of oneself.

Back 30

Idealization

Front 31

inability to integrate the positive and negative qualities of oneself or others into a cohesive image. Aspects of self and of others tend to alternate between opposite poles. Usually seen in borderline and personality disorders.

Back 31

Splitting

Front 32

Ex: either good, loving, worthy, and nurturing or bad, hateful or destructive, rejecting, and worthless.

Back 32

Splitting

Hint 32

when the patient does this to staff. Staff may need a meeting to make sure that they are all on the same page.

Front 33

Ex: (Those that blame others of cheating and deceiving have these characteristics in themselves that they cant consciously accept or find distasteful); family blaming a child, in a larger system – blaming the weakest links.
o Tx: id what is causing the anxiety

Back 33

Projection

Front 34

unconsciously rejects emotionally acceptable personal features and attributes them to other people, objects, or situations. Hallmark of blaming or scapegoating which is the root of prejudice.

Back 34

Projection

Front 35

escaping unpleasant realities by ignoring their existence.

Back 35

Denial

Front 36

Ex: a man believes that physical limitations reflect negatively on one’s manhood. He may deny chest pains, even heart attacks run in his family.

Back 36

Denial

Front 37

gross impairment in reality testing.

Back 37

Psychotic denial

Front 38

Ex: Schizophrenic man says he wants to stay out of the hospital tell the nurse it is his medication, not the cocaine, that makes him psychotic and aggressive.

Back 38

Psychotic denial

Front 39

a healthy life force that is necessary for survival and motivates people to take action. ex: potential violent situation occurs and nurse moves rapidly to defuse the situation.

Back 39

Normal Anxiety

Front 40

precipitated by an imminent loss or change that threatens one's sense of security. ex: sudden death of loved one

Back 40

Acute Anxiety

Front 41

develops overtime, starts in childhood, displays as physical symptoms such as fatigue and frequent headaches

Back 41

Chronic Anxiety

Front 42

a state produced by change in the environment that seems challenging, threatening, or damaging on well being.

Back 42

Stress

Front 43

dysfunctional behavior, feeling of apprehension, uneasiness, uncertainty, or dread from real or perceived threat Actual source is unknown or unrecognized

Back 43

Anxiety

Front 44

reaction to a specific danger

Back 44

fear

Front 45

occurs with normal experience of life, increases ability to perceive reality, identifiable cause, vague feeling of mild discomfort, impatience and apprehension.

Back 45

mild anxiety

Front 46

slight reduced perception and processing of info, selective inattention, ability to think is hampered, learning and problem solving still occur, concentration difficulites, tiredness, pacing, increased heart rate and respiratory rate, Benefits from directions from others

Back 46

moderate anxiety

Front 47

perceptual field is greatly reduced with distorted perceptions, learning and problem solving not possible, confusion, impending doom, aimless activity, not able to take direction from other people

Back 47

severe anxiety

Front 48

disturbed behavior, not able to process environment, lose touch w/ reality, extreme fright or horror, dysfunction in speech, inability to sleep, delusions, and hallucinations.

Back 48

Panic Level