Defense Mechanism

BY:
UMAR AZLAN
NURSYAHIRA M YUSOF
 Introduction
• The term ‘ Defence Mechanism’ was first used
by sigmund freud in his paper “The Neuro-
Psychoses of defence” (1894).
• Anna (1937) developed the ideas given by
Freud and elaborated them, adding 5 other
own .
• In his psychoanalytical theory , Freud
explained a defence mechanism is a tactic
developed by ego to protect against anxiety
Definition
A defence mechanism is the act or technique of coping mechanisms
that reduce anxiety generated by threats from unacceptable or
negative impulses. The process is usually unconscious .
• in Freudian Psychoanalytical theory, Defence Mechanism are
psychological strategies brought into play by the unconscious mind to
manipulate , deny or distort reality in order to defend against feelings
of anxiety & unacceptable impulses to maintain one’s self schema .
• Defence Mechanism , in Psychoanalytical theory , any of a group
mental processes that enables the mind to reach compromise
solutions to conflicts that is unable to resolve .
 Freud & Personality Structure
Id - energy constantly striving to satisfy basic drives
Pleasure Principle

Ego - seeks to gratify the Id in realistic ways

Reality Principle
Super
Ego Ego
Super Ego
- voice of conscience
that focuses on how
Id we ought to behave
 STRUCTURE OF PERSONALITY
JID I’m ID!!! I operate on the
PLEASURE PRINCIPLE and I
• Is the part of one’s nature that reflects basic or innate always demand for the
desires such as pleasure seeking behaviour, aggression immediate gratification of my
and sexual impulses needs

• Seeks instant gratification, causes impulsive unthinking

behaviour and has no regard conversation.
• Irrational and not based on reality.
STRUCTURE OF PERSONALITY
SUPEREGO
• Is the part of a person’s nature that reflects moral and I’m SUPEREGO!! I am
ethical concepts, values and parental and social stubborn and as blind
expectations. and ruthless as the ID. I
am based on whats
• Is in Direct opposition to the ID. IDEAL rather than REAL
• Moral, ethical, values, Parental
STRUCTURE OF PERSONALITY
I’m EGO!
EGO My role is to balance between ID
and SUPEREGO
• Is the balancing or mediating I operate based on REALITY
forces between the ID and PRINCIPLE
SUPEREGO I individualizes a person
• Represents mature and adaptive
behaviour that allows a person to
function successfully in the word
• Adaptation to reality;modulation
of anxiety;reality testing;store of
experiences in memory, use
defense mechanism to protect
self
Defense mechanism
• Unconscious, specific intrapsychic ways of coping which are employed
by persons to resolve emotional conflict and to cope with anxiety.
• The use of defense mechanisms excessively leads to maladaptive
ways of coping
• May distort, falsify, or deny reality.
• Used by individuals to relieve or decrease anxiety caused by
uncomfortable situations that threatened self-esteem.
• Decrease emotional conflicts , provide relief from stress, protect from
feelings of anxiety and maintain an individual’s self- esteem
 George Eman Vaillant s (1977)
FOUR LEVEL OF DEFENSE MECHANISM

 Level I - Pathological defences (i.e. psychotic denial, delusional

projection,distortion)
 Level II - Immature defences (i.e. fantasy, projection, passive aggression, acting
out)
 Level III - Neurotic defences (i.e. intellectualization, reaction formation,
dissociation, displacement, repression)
 Level IV - Mature defences (i.e. humour, sublimation, suppression, altruism,
anticipation)
Level 1: Pathological Mechanisms
• The mechanisms on this level, when predominating,
Delusion projection almost always are severely pathological.
Conversion
Denial • These six defenses, in conjunction, MECHANISMS
Distortion
Splitting
permit one to effectively rearrange external
Extreme projection experiences to eliminate the need to cope with
reality.
common in • The pathological users of these mechanisms
healthy frequently appear irrational or insane to others.
individuals
before age 5 These are the "psychotic" defenses, common in overt
psychosis. However, they are found in dreams and
throughout childhood.
 LEVEL 1 : Pathological Defense Mechanism
Delusional Projection
• Delusions about external reality, usually of a persecutory nature.
Conversion
• Emotional problems are converted to physical symptoms.
Denial
• Blocking out or disowning painful thoughts or feelings.
Splitting
• A primitive defense.
• Negative and positive impulses are split off and unintegrated
eg 1: An individual views other people as either innately good or innately evil,
rather than as an individual who is defined by his or her actions.
Extreme Projection
• The blatant denial of a moral or psychological deficiency, which is perceived as
a deficiency in another individual or group.
 LEVEL 1 : Pathological Defense Mechanism
Distortion
• Grossly reshaping external reality to suit inner needs (including unrealistic megalomanic beliefs, hallucinations, wish-
fulfilling delusions) and using sustained feelings of delusional superiority or entitlement.
• Distortions in regards to defense mechanisms are broken down into three separate levels; minor, major and
dysregulation. Minor image-distorting level is characterized by distortions in the image of self, body, or others that may
be used to maintain self-esteem. Examples include:
 Devaluation: attributing exaggerated negative qualities to self or others.
 Idealization: attributing exaggerated positive qualities to self or others.
 Omnipotence: acting as if self is possessed with special powers or abilities and is superior to others
• Major image-distorting level is characterized by gross distortion or misattribution of the image of self or others.
Examples of this level include:
 Autistic fantasy: excessive daydreaming as a substitute for human relationships, more effective action, or problem
solving.
 Projective identification: falsely attributing to another the feelings, thoughts or impulses of self; differing from simple
projection by the fact that the individual doesn’t fully disavow what is projected; rather misattributes them as
justifiable reactions to the other person.
 Splitting of self-image or image of others: compartmentalizing opposite affect states and failing to integrate the positive
and negative qualities of self or others into cohesive images.
 LEVEL 1 : Pathological Defense Mechanism
Distortion
• The more severe level of distortion, defensive dysregulation, is characterized by a
failure of defensive regulation in individuals’ reactions to stressors, which lead to a
pronounced break with objective reality. Examples of this level include:
Delusional projection: attributing non reality-based thoughts, emotions and
impulses to others.
Psychotic denial: gross impairment in reality testing.
 Psychotic distortion: gross impairment in perceiving reality differently than others
 Level 2 : Immature of Mechanism
• These mechanisms are often present in adults.
Projection • Lessen distress and anxiety provoked by
Schizoid fantasy threatening people or by uncomfortable reality.
Hypochondrias
Passive-Aggressive behaviour • Excessive use of such defenses is seen as socially
Acting out undesirable in that they are immature, difficult to
Blocking deal with and seriously out of touch with reality.
Regression
Introjection • These are the so-called "immature"behavior
somatization defenses and over use almost always leads to
serious problems in a persons ability to cope
common in effectively. These defenses are often seen in major
ages 3-15) depression and personality disorders.
 Level 2 : Immature Mechanisms
Acting out
• Direct expression of an unconscious wish or impulse in action, without conscious awareness of the emotion
that drives that expressive behaviour.
Fantasy
• Tendency to retreat into fantasy in order to resolve inner and outer conflicts.
Passive aggression Behaviour
• Aggression towards others expressed indirectly or passively such as using procrastination.
Projection
• Is a primitive form of paranoia.
• It is shifting ones unacceptable thoughts, feelings and impulses within oneself onto someone else, such that
those same thoughts, feelings, beliefs and motivations are perceived as beings possessed by the
Somatization
• The transformation of negative feelings towards others into negative feelings toward self, pain, illness, and
anxiety.
Schizoid fantasy
• Indulging in autistic retreat in order to resolve conflict and to obtain gratification.
• Interpersonal intimacy is avoided, and eccentricity serves to repel others. The person does not fully believe in
the fantasies and does not insist on acting them out
 Level 2 : Immature Mechanisms
Regression
• Attempting to return to an earlier libidinal phase of functioning to avoid the tension and
conflict evoked at the present level of development.
• It reflects the basic tendency to gain instinctual gratification at a less- developed period.
• Moving back to a previous developmental stage to feel safe or have needs met.
Introjection
• Accepting another person’s Mechanisms attitudes, beliefs, and values as one’s own
Hypochondriasis
• Exaggerating or overemphasizing an illness for the purpose of evasion and regression.
• Reproach arising from bereavement, loneliness, or unacceptable aggressive impulses
toward others is transformed into self reproach and complaints of pain, somatic illness,
and neurasthenia.
• In hypochondriasis, responsibility can be avoided, guilt may be circumvented, and
instinctual impulses are warded off. Because hypochondriacal introjects are ego- alien,
the afflicted person experiences dysphoria and a sense of affliction
Level 3 : Neurotic Defenses
• Neurotic means too anxious of
Intellectulization everything.
Regression
Displacement • Common in adults
Reaction formation
Dissociation • Have short-term advantages in coping,
Controlling but can often cause long-term problems
Externalization
Inhibition
in relationships, work and in enjoying life
Rationalization when used as ones primary style of
Sexualization coping with the world.
Common
in ages
3-90
 Level 3 : Neurotic Defenses
Rationalization (making excuse)
• Excusing own behavior to avoid guilt, responsibility, conflict, anxiety or loss of self-respect.
• The target of rationalization is something that we have done, such as being unkind to
another person.
• May also be used when something happens independent of us which causes discomfort,
such as when a friend is unkind to us.
• We NOT only rationalized actions and the things we have done, we also find reason for
our Beliefs, models, values and other inner structure and thoughts.
Displacement
• Defense mechanism that may sexual or aggressive impulses to a more acceptable or less
threatening target
• redirecting emotion to a safer outlet
• separation of emotion from its real object and redirection of the intense emotion toward
someone or something that is less offensive or threatening in order to avoid dealing
directly with what is frightening or threatening.
 Level 3 : Neurotic Defenses
Dissociation
• Is a term in psychology describing a wide array of experiences from mild detachment from
immediate surroundings to more severe detachment from physical and emotional experience.
Reaction Formation
• Occurs when a person feels an urge to do or say something and they actually does or says
something that is effectively the opposite of what they really want.
• Appears as a defense against a feared social punishment.
• Fear to be criticized of something.
Intellectualization
• A form of isolation
• concentrating on the intellectual components of a situation so as to distance oneself from the
associated anxiety-provoking emotions
• separation of emotion from ideas; thinking about wishes in formal, affectively bland terms and
not acting on them
• avoiding unacceptable emotions by focusing on the intellectual aspects.
 Level 3 : Neurotic Defenses
Repression
• Unconscious forgetting.
• Excluding emotionally painful or anxiety-provoking thoughts and feelings from conscious awareness
Undoing
• A person tries to undo an unhealthy, destructive or otherwise threatening thought by acting out the
reverse of unacceptable.
• Involves symbolically nullifying an unacceptable or guilt provoking thought, idea, or feeling by confession
or atonement.
Isolation
• Separation of feelings from ideas and events.
Withdrawal
• is a more severe form of defense.
• It entails removing oneself from events, stimuli, interactions, etc. under the fear of being reminded of
painful thoughts and feelings
 Level 4: Mature Mechanisms
• These are commonly found among emotionally
healthy adults and are considered mature, even
though many have their origins in an immature
Altruism stage of development.
Humour
Sublimation • Adapted through the years in order to optimize
Suppression success in life and relationships.
• Enhances pleasure and feelings of control.
• Help us to integrate conflicting emotions and
thoughts, whilst still remaining effective. Those
who use these mechanisms are usually considered
virtuous
 Level 4: Mature Mechanisms
Sublimation
• Transformation of negative emotions or instincts into positive actions,
behaviour, or emotion.
• The rechannelling of unacceptable instinctual drive with one that is
acceptable.
Humor
• Overt expression of those that are feelings (especially ideas and
unpleasant to focus on or too terrible to talk about) that gives pleasure
to others and tension release
Identification
• Important early in life and in the maturation of ego.
• A developing child identifies with the values, attitude and behavior of
the paarent, and these memories become part of his personality.
 Level 4: Mature Mechanisms
Altruism
• Constructive service to others that brings pleasure and personal satisfaction.
• Involves the unselfish concern for other people.
• It involves doing things simply out of a desire to help, not because you feel
obligated to out of duty, loyalty, or religious reasons.
Suppression
• Consciously or semiconsciously postponing attention to a conscious conflict
to a more suitable time.
• Conflict is postponed but not avoided.
• Not a true defense mechanism.
References
• Harold Kaplan and Sadock's synopsis of psychiatry,1994
• Desk Reference to the Diagnostic criteria from DSM 5,June 2013
THANK YOU