Defense Mechanisms

Altruism

dealing with anxiety by reaching out to others

Sublimation

dealing with unacceptable feelings or impulses by unconsciously substituting acceptable forms of expression

Supression

voluntarily denying unpleasant thoughts and feelings

Repression

putting unacceptable ideas, thoughts, and emotions out of conscious awareness

Displacement

shifting feelings related to an object, person, or situation to another less threatening object, person, or situation.

Reaction Formation

overcompensating or demonstrating the opposite behavior or what is felt

Undoing

performing an act to make up for prior behavior

Rationalization

creating reasonable and acceptable explanations for unacceptable behavior

Dissociation

temporarily blocking memories and perceptions from consciousness

Splitting

demonstrating an inability to reconcile negative and positive attributes of self or others

Projection

blaming others for unacceptable thoughts and feelings

Denial

pretending the truth is not reality to manage the anxiety of acknowledging what is real

Regression

demonstrating behavior from an earlier developmental level, often exhibited as childlike or immature behavior

Compensation

When a person covers up a real or perceived problem or weakness