Defense Mechanisms Final1

Seminar presentation
on
Defense mechanisms
Moderator -Dr Bezawit
Presenters
1)Sebontu Kasu
2)Saron Mulugeta
3)Betlhem Agosa
4)Beza Hailu
5)Tamirat Haile
Outline
 Introduction
 Definition
 Classification of defense mechanism
Introduction
Sigmund freud in 1904 used the term “defense

mechanism ”to refer to the unconscious process
that defends or protects a person against anxiety ,
shame , loss of self esteem , conflict or unacceptable
feelings .
 According to freud He believed that there are 3
levels of consciousness
 Unconscious
 Preconscious
 Conscious
 Freud also constructed a model of personality with 3
interlocking parts ;
The id ,
The ego and
The super ego.
The id
 Inborn biological component of personality
 It is a selﬁsh, childish, pleasure-oriented part of the

personality with no ability to delay gratiﬁcation.
 Usually operates to the pleasure principle which
Reduce tension & maximize satisfaction.
Ego
 satisfies the id’s urges using means that are
rational, socially acceptable and safe .
 strives to balance between the desire of the Id
and external reality
 operates according to reality principle
 Both Id & superego are unrealistic so Ego tries to
balance.
Superego
 The final personality structure to develop
 Represents the social rights & wrongs
 Helps control impulses coming from the Id making our
behavior less selfish &more virtuous.
 The superego contains internalized societal and parental
standards of "good" and "bad", "right" and "wrong"
behavior
Ego defense
When superego and id are in conflict the person

experiences ‘signal anxiety’
Ego must convert the signal anxiety to defuse it and make
it less threatening by making mature or immature defense
mechanism
The dynamic of ego defense mechanisms are interpreted
as mediator produced by ego to alleviate the signal
anxiety produced by conflicts in unconscious drives of
id and superego.
 Ideally the best way of dealing with unconscious
conflict is to be aware of it and to deal with it with
conscious responsibility; without distorting the reality
with defense mechanism.
 But the signal anxiety produced by the conflict is so

painful to tolerate so the ego is forced to use defense
mechanism to distort the reality.
When anxiety becomes overwhelming, it is the ego's
place to protect the person by employing defense
mechanisms.
 Defense mechanisms work by distorting the id

impulses into acceptable forms, or by unconscious or
conscious blockage of these impulses.
Defense mechanism
The term ‘defense mechanisms’ was coined over 100 years

ago to describe a construct of psychological mechanisms
for coping with intra psychic conflicts.
The ways and means with which the ego wards off anxiety
and controls instinctive urges and unpleasant affects
(emotions)
Are techniques used by psyche to protect itself from
overwhelming anxiety or stress
Unconscious tactics people use to reduce anxiety by
concealing the source of anxiety (unacceptable thoughts,
instincts or feelings).
Classification of defense mechanisms
According to George Valliant defense mechanisms

are classified in to four types .
1.Narcissistic Defenses
2.Immature Defenses
3.Neurotic Defenses
4.Mature Defenses
A) Narcissistic-Psychotic Defenses
These defenses are usually found as part of a psychotic
process, but may also occur in young children and
adult dreams or fantasies.
They share the common note of avoiding , negating,

or distorting reality.
1) Narcissistic projection
 is the misattribution of a person’s
undesired thoughts, feelings or
impulses onto another person who does
not have those thoughts, feelings or impulses.
Example
Wife get really mad at her husband but scream that he
is the one mad at her .
2) Denial:
 is the refusal to accept reality or fact, acting
as if a painful event, thought or feeling did not
exist.
 It is considered one of the most primitive of
the defense mechanisms because it is
characteristic of early childhood development
Example
A women refusing to believe that she was recently
diagnosed with cancer .
3) Distortion : A gross reshaping of external reality
to meet internal needs .
B)Immature Defenses
These mechanisms are fairly common in

preadolescent years and in adult character
disorder.
They are often mobilized by anxieties related to

intimacy or its loss.
Although they are regarded as socially awkward and

undesirable they often moderate with improvement in
interpersonal relationships or with increased personal
maturity.
1)Acting out:
 Direct expression of an unconscious wish or impulse
in action, without conscious awareness of the
emotion that drives the expressive behavior.
 Is performing an extreme behavior in order

to express thoughts or feelings the person feels
incapable of otherwise expressing.
Example
 Instead of saying, “I’m angry with you,” a person
who acts out may instead throw a book at the person,
or punch a hole through a wall.
 A 16 years old whose parents are going through a

divorce begins to skip classes .
2)Regression:
A return to a previous stage of development
or functioning to avoid the anxieties or hostilities
involved in later stages.
Example
 A 10 year old who moves to a new state begins to
have enuresis.
 You and your roommate have get into an argument

so you stomp off into another room and pout
3)Hypochondriasis
An excessive preoccupation or worry about having a
serious illness
4)Passive aggressive behavior

expressing negativity and performing below
expectations as indirect display of opposition .
Example
A disgruntled employee is repeatedly late to work.
5) Introjection
The introjection of a loved object involves the
internalization of characteristic of the object with the
goal of ensuring closeness to and constant presence of the
object.
6) Schizoid fantasy
The tendency to use fantasy and to indulge in
autistic retreat for the purpose of conflict resolution
and gratification.
7)Somatization
The defensive conversion of psychic derivatives into
bodily symptoms; tendency to react with somatic
rather than psychic manifestations.
8)Blocking
 An inhibition of thinking , usually temporary in
nature.
 It is close to repression in its effect but has a

component of tension arising from the inhibition of
the impulse, affect or thought.
3) Neurotic Defenses
These are common in apparently normal and healthy

individuals as well as in neurotic disorders.
They function usually in the alleviation of

distressing affects and may be expressed in neurotic
forms of behavior.
Depending on circumstance, they can also have an

adaptive or socially acceptable aspect
1)Controlling
The excessive attempt to manage or regulate events
or objects in the environment in the interest of
minimizing anxiety and solving internal conflicts.
2)Intellectualization
avoiding a distressing situation by focusing on facts
and logic rather than emotions .
3)Dissociation
A temporary but drastic modification of character or
sense of personal identity to avoid emotional distress.
Example
A soldier who witnessed the murder of his friend has
no memory of the incident .
4)Displacement
is the redirecting of thoughts feelings and
impulses directed at one person or object, but
taken out upon another person or object.
Example
A man who is angry at his boss comes home and yells
at his children
5)Externalization
the tendency to perceive in the external world and in
external objects components of one’s own personality,
including instinctual impulses, conflicts, moods,
attitudes, and styles of thinking.
Example
A person who is overly argumentative might instead
he perceives others as argumentative and himself as a
blameless.
6)Inhibition
The unconsciously determined limitation or
renunciation of specific ego functions.
7) Isolation
The intrapsychic splitting or separation of affect
from content resulting in repression of either
idea or affect or the displacement of affect to a
different or substitute content.
8)Rationalization
giving logical reason for a negative situation in an
attempt to convince oneself that the situation is a
reasonable one , usually to avoid self blame .
Example
A man who lost his job told his friends that it was a
good thing because it would have been a very stressful
position .
9)Reaction formation
is the converting of unwanted or dangerous thoughts,
feelings or impulses into their opposites.
Example
when you say you’re not angry when you really are
10)Repression
is the unconscious blocking of unacceptable
thoughts, feelings and impulses. The key to repression
is that people do it unconsciously, so they often have
very little control over it.
 Primary repression: ideas and feelings before
they have reached consciousness.
 Secondary repression: operating by excluding
from awareness what was once experienced on a
conscious level.
Example
 You can't remember your father's funeral
 A lady has phobia of spider but can not remember
the first time she was afraid of them .
11)Sexualization
The endowing of an object or function with sexual
significance that it did not previously have, or
possesses to a lesser degree, to ward off
anxieties connected with prohibited impulses.
4)Mature Defenses
These mechanisms are healthy and adaptive
throughout the life cycle.

They are socially adaptive and useful in the
integration of personal needs, and motives,

social demands and interpersonal relations .
They can underlie seemingly admirable and
virtuous patterns of behavior.

1)Altruism
 Constructive service to others that brings pleasure
and personal satisfaction.
 Negative feeling of once self are alleviated by
helping other people .
Examples
 A mafia boss makes a large donation to charity
 After your wife dies, you keep yourself
busy by volunteering at your church
2)Anticipation
Realistic planning for future discomfort.
Example
Getting old- think your retirement plan ahead wisely
3)Suppression
voluntarily pushing uncomfortable ideas or feelings
out of the conscious mind .
Example
 A student consciously choose not to think about
upcoming exam until a few days prior to exam .
 You are attracted to someone but say that you really
don't like the person at all
4)Sublimation
Transformation of unhelpful emotions or instincts
into healthy actions, behaviors, or emotions.
Example
 Aggressive impulses takes places through
pleasurable games and sports.
 A man who has violent thoughts decides to pursue a
career as a butcher .
5)Humour
Overt expression of ideas and feelings that gives
pleasure to others.
Example
 A person's treatment for cancer makes him lose
his hair so he makes jokes about being bald.
 A nervous patient jokes about upcoming operation
6)Asceticism
The elimination of directly pleasurable affects
attributable to an experience.
Reference
Kaplan & Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry, 12th edition

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Seminar presentation

Sigmund freud in 1904 used the term “defense

 It is a selﬁsh, childish, pleasure-oriented part of the

When superego and id are in conflict the person

 But the signal anxiety produced by the conflict is so

 Defense mechanisms work by distorting the id

The term ‘defense mechanisms’ was coined over 100 years

According to George Valliant defense mechanisms

They share the common note of avoiding , negating,

These mechanisms are fairly common in

They are often mobilized by anxieties related to

Although they are regarded as socially awkward and

 Is performing an extreme behavior in order

 A 16 years old whose parents are going through a

 You and your roommate have get into an argument

4)Passive aggressive behavior

 It is close to repression in its effect but has a

These are common in apparently normal and healthy

They function usually in the alleviation of

Depending on circumstance, they can also have an

These mechanisms are healthy and adaptive

throughout the life cycle.

integration of personal needs, and motives,

virtuous patterns of behavior.

Kaplan & Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry, 12th edition

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