Freud’s Defense Mechanisms

1. how do you react? Freud’s Defense Mechanisms

2. Repression • Wishes, memories and unacceptable thoughts are pushed to the unconscious. (unknown to the person) • You witness a murder, black out, and cannot remember a thing later.

3. Regression • Returning to an earlier time (usually childhood) because of overwhelming stress • A toddler begins to suck his thumb at the birth of a new baby. • Upon his 50th birthday, a man quits his job, buys a Lamborghini and “enjoys the good life”

4. Rationalization • Talking yourself into something • You weren’t invited to a party so you convince yourself it wouldn’t have been fun anyway. • You didn’t get into your first choice college so you convince yourself the college was lame anyway.

5. Projection • Placing blame on others instead of yourself • You do poorly on a test and blame your teacher instead of yourself.

6. Reaction Formation • Behaving in a manner opposite of your true (unacceptable) feelings. • You hate your mother so you over-compensate by being nice to her out of guilt.

7. Displacement • Placing your feelings or reaction on something unrelated. “pass the buck” • You get in trouble at work, so you go home and kick your dog. • Your teacher yells at you, so you go out and punch a locker in the hallway.

8. Sublimation • Socially acceptable displacement. • Channeling energy into something healthy. • You join the football team to let your aggression out in a healthy manner.

9. Denial • Refusing to accept reality. • If you are seriously overweight, you might deny even being the least bit too heavy. • Upon hearing of a terminal prognosis, you refuse to accept the death of a loved one.

10. Intellectualization • Becoming emotionally detached as a way of dealing with issues and situations that would otherwise be difficult to handle. • Doctors, nurses, etc must intellectualize so they can enjoy a life outside of their professional responsibilities.