Defense Mechanisms Examples

Front 1

Denial

Back 1

a woman diagnosed with cancer tells her family all the tests were negative

Front 2

Displacement

Back 2

after being scolded by his supervisor at work, a man comes home and kicks the dog for barking

Front 3

Identification

Back 3

a teenage boy dresses and behaves like his favorite singer

Front 4

Intellectualization

Back 4

the wife of a substance abuser describes, in detail, the dynamics of enabling behavior, yet continues to call her husbands workplace to report his monday morning absences as an illness

Front 5

Introjection

Back 5

a young man deals with a business client in the same fashion his father deals with business clients

Front 6

Isolation

Back 6

a nurse working in an emergency room is able to care for the seriously injured by isolating or seperating her feelings and emotions related to the clients pain, injuries or death

Front 7

Projection

Back 7

a student who has sexual feeling toward her teacher tells her friends the teach is "coming on to her"

Front 8

Rationalization

Back 8

a studetn who did not do well in a course says it was poorl taught and the course content was not importent anyway

Front 9

Reaction Formation

Back 9

a person who dislikes animals does volunteer work for the humane society

Front 10

Regression

Back 10

After moving to a new home, a 6 year old starts wetting the bed

Front 11

Repression

Back 11

a young man whose mother died when he was 12 years old cannot tell you how old he was or the year she died

Front 12

Sublimation

Back 12

a student who feels too small to play football becomes a champion marathon swimmer

Front 13

Suppression

Back 13

when about to lose tara, scarlet ohara says, "ill think about it tomorrow"

Front 14

Undoing

Back 14

a young man who used to hurt wild animals now chairs a committee for the protection of animals