The SRA Symposium - College of Medicine

Questions 4 and 5
Papers
The last two frequent questions flow together as research administrators wonder about what are
the defense mechanisms and whether some are better than others. There are defense mechanisms
that can be categorized as defending by “withdrawal” such as: denial of reality that is refusing to
recognize the threatening external event or piece of information. Examples include the tobacco
addict who denies scientific evidence linking smoking to lung cancer. The “love is blind” perspective,
the denial of death, and a “rose colored glasses” view of the world. Repression involves
pushing unacceptable thoughts, feelings or impulses into the unconscious mind. Examples include
“forgetting” dreams, dental appointments, childhood traumas, and repressing envious feelings.
Regression is withdrawal into the past by readopting behaviors that previously brought satisfaction.
Examples include a supervisor who has a temper tantrum when a subordinate makes a mistake,
sulking when you do not get your way, or waiting to be “rescued”; acting childishly. Sublimation
is placing unwanted impulses into socially acceptable behaviors. Examples include sexually
forbidden desires being sublimated into creating works of art; an aggressive person redirecting
that energy by going into the military or law enforcement professions.
There are defense mechanisms that can be grouped into “defending by attacking”. These include:
displacement, which is discharging pent-up feelings of frustration onto weaker, less dangerous
persons, animals, or objects rather than back to the real threat. An example would be picking an
argument with a spouse when you are really angry with a supervisor or coworker. Projection is
disowning personal responsibility by externalizing blame. Examples would include a person who
is angry at their supervisor but acts friendly toward him or her and then complains that the same
supervisor is angry with them, or “seeing” lust, fear, or hostility in others when it is really caused
by one’s own unacceptable urges. Intellectualization is separating unpleasant emotions or personal
responsibility from a threatening event or situation by thinking or talking about it in “intellectual”
terms. Examples include using intellectual arguments as excuses, analyzing too much to avoid feelings,
or pontificating. Rationalization is explaining shortcomings, lessening disappointments, or
reducing guilt by justifying with reasons or excuses. Examples include when being passed over for
an award and saying, “I did not really want it anyway” or having defensive explanations for poor
performance.
Finally, there are some defense mechanisms that defend by capitulation. Introjection helps to
avoid rejection and external threats when a person internalizes the values and beliefs of others.
An example is “group think” in organizations. Identification is boosting one’s own ego and esteem
by identifying with powerful or desirable persons, groups, or organizations. Examples include
name-dropping, taking on the latest fad, or joining a special group to bolster an insecure self-image.
Reaction Formation prevents unacceptable urges from being expressed by exaggerating the
opposite behavior or viewpoint. Examples are when one “dost protest too much” and “smother
love” covering up hostility.
All defense mechanisms distort reality so reality becomes less threatening to our self-image. If you
are criticized for a project, you can control your anxiety by blaming others (projection), by giving
excuses (rationalization), by getting angry and throwing something (displacement), and you could
suppress your anxiety (repression).
When under extreme stress a person’s psychological balance will shift and less mature defenses
emerge. Vaillant (1971) suggested that there is a continuum of the defense mechanism. He proposed
that defense maneuvers range from mature defenses of altruism, anticipation, humor,
sublimation, and suppression to the neurotic defenses of displacement, intellectualization, reaction
formation, and repression to the immature defenses of acting out, hypochondriasis, passive aggression,
projection and finally to narcissistic defenses of delusion, distortions, and psychotic denial.
2005 Symposium Proceedings Book 125