What is Defense Mechanism

1. D E F E N S E
M E C H A N I
S M

2. What is defense
mechanism ?
 Ways to behave or ways to
protect ourselves or “defend”
ourselves from anxieties.

3. Common defense
mechanism 1 . R e p r e s s i o n
2 . D e n i a l
3 . R e g r e s s i o n
4 . P r o j e c t i o n
5 . S p l i t t i n g
6 . I s o l a t i o n o f e ff e c t
7 . D i s p l a c e m e n t
8 . R e a c t i o n F o r m a t i o n
9 . R a t i o n a l i z a t i o n
1 0 . A l t r u i s m
1 1 . S u b l i m a t i o n
1 2 . H u m o r
1 3 . S u p p r e s s i o n
1 4 . U n d o i n g

4. Repression
 Burying a painful feeling or
thought from your awareness
though it may result in symbolic
form.
Example:

5. Denial
 Not accepting reality because
it’s too painful.
Example:

6. Regression
 Reverting to an older, less
mature way of handling
stresses and feelings.
Example:

7. Projection
 Attributing your own
unacceptable thoughts or
feelings to someone or
something else.
Example:

8. Splitting
 Everything in the world is seen
as all good or all bad with
nothing in between.
Example:

9. Isolation of effect
 Attempting to avoid painful
thought or feeling by
objectifying and emotionally
detaching oneself from the
feeling.
Example:

10. Displacement
 Channeling a feeling or thought
from its actual source to
something or someone else.
Example:

11. Reaction Formation
 Adopting beliefs, attitudes, and
feelings contrary to what you
really believe.
Example:

12. Rationalization
 Justifying one’s behavior and
motivations by substituting “
good “ acceptable reasons for
the real motivations.
Example:

13. Altruism
 Handling your own pain by
helping others.
Example:

14. Sublimation
 Redirecting unacceptable,
instinctual drives into
personally and socially
acceptable channels.
Example:

15. Humor
 Focusing on funny aspects of a
painful situation.
Example:

16. Suppression
 The effort to hide and control
unacceptable thoughts or
feelings.
Example:

17. Undoing
 Trying to reverse or “undo” a
thought or feeling by performing
an action that signifies an
opposite feeling than your
original thought or feeling.
Example: