Sigmund FreudSigmund FreudDefense MechanismsDefense Mechanisms

Malik Manasrah Malik Manasrah

Najah National UniversityNajah National University

RepressionRepressionWhat you do:• Keep painful thoughts and feelings away from

consciousness.• Don’t think about it!Examples:• Early abuse• Lies you have told• Painful memoriesProblems:• Diverts needed energy• Blocks out stressful situations that could be

worked out

DenialDenial• Ego feels anxiety from

perception of strong external or internal danger it can’t escape or deal with directly

What you do:• Tell yourself it is not

happening• Tell yourself it is not

your fault• Conscious denial

DisplacementDisplacementFeeling:• anxiety• angerWhat you do:• Direct the feeling

away from its actual target to another, safer target

ProjectionProjectionWhat you do:• Attribute your own undesirable impulses,

feeling, or desires to another personExamples:• “I hate her” really means “I think she hates

me”Problems:• Misperceive the other person’s motivations• Don’t deal with your own feelings• Overreaction

Reaction-FormationReaction-FormationWhat you do:• In defense against the threatening

impulse, express the opposite impulse.Examples:• Someone frightens you so you act super

nice• Someone frightens you so you snub them• The sex offender becomes the great

protector of society.Problems:• False persona

RationalizationRationalizationWhat you do:• Make up excuses for inadequacies,

failure, or lossExamples:• If I had wanted to try hard, I could

have done it too.• If my friend were more

understanding, I wouldn’t have to loose my temper.

• If I wanted to I could have a body like his/hers.• If I had better teachers, I would have

gotten higher grades.Problems:• Energy would be better spent on

improving.• The truth catches up with you.

CompensationCompensationWhat you do:• Develop or strengthen positive traits to make up

for limitations• Distract attention from the weaknessesExamples:• Weak in school, excellent in sports.• Class clownProblems:• Unbalanced• Incompetent in some areas

RegressionRegressionWhat you do:• Revert back to behavior of an

earlier stage• Use childhood coping

mechanismsExamples:• Temper tantrums, swearing,

fighting, sulking, cryingProblems:• Does not solve the problem• People think you are immature• You are not learning to cope well

FantasyFantasyWhat you do:• Dreaming, imagining instead of living in the present world,

because you don’t feel competent to achieve.• PretendingExamples:• Wanting to look good and pretending to yourself that you

are one of the movie stars you read about.• Making up stories about how successful you are, rather

than working on your success.Problems:• You get stuck in the fantasy rather than

using your talents to become successful.