Behavioral Science

Table 4.1
Defense
Mechanism
Description
31
Immature Mature
Altruism
Humor
Sublimation
Suppression
Acting Out
Denial
Displacement
Dissociation
Identification
Intellectualization
Projection
Rationalization
Reaction formation
Regression
Repression
Splitting
Guilty feelings are alleviated by kindness to others
Recognizing the amusing nature of an anxiety-provoking or adverse situation
Channeling unacceptable impulses into acceptable actions
Voluntary blocking of an idea or feeling from conscious awareness
Undesirable feelings and thoughts are expressed through actions
Refusing to accept facts about an unpleasant reality
Transferring feeling about one thing to something else
Detaching from oneself; emotionally or mentally
Modeling one’s behavior after someone more powerful
Using facts and logic to avoid emotions
Attributing one’s feelings to an external source
Proclaiming logical reasons for actions actually performed for other reasons
Process whereby a warded-off idea or feeling is replaced by an unconsciously derived
emphasis on its opposite
Returning to a less mature stage of development
Involuntary blocking of an idea or feeling from conscious awareness
Belief that people are either all good or all bad
(Continued)