Defense Mechanisms

1. Defense Mechanisms Healthful Living Mrs. Gunderson

2. Defense Mechanisms • Developed by Freud: Unconscious psychological strategies used to cope with reality and to maintain self-image. • Sometimes confused with coping strategies. • Can be a poor way to deal with emotional challenges because: • Develop a false sense of reality • Never get to fully emotionally develop

3. 9 Common Defense Mechanisms • Compensation – making up for a weakness in one area by excelling in another area • Rationalization – making excuses for actions or feelings • Denial – refusing to recognize the existence of an emotion or problem

4. 9 Common Defense Mechanisms • Reaction Formation – behaving in a way opposite of the way you are feeling • Projection/Displacement – putting your own faults or problems onto another person • Regression – returning to immature behaviors to express your emotions

5. 9 Common Defense Mechanisms • Repression – involuntary pushing of unpleasant feelings below the surface and out of thought • Dissociation – disconnects from the “real world” and lives in a different world not cluttered with difficult thoughts or feelings • Idealization – seeing someone else as perfect or more ideal, or worthy, than everyone else

6. Skits! • In a group of 3-4, you will be assigned a defense mechanism to act out. • With your group, develop a 30 to 60 second skit demonstrating your defense mechanism. • Do not tell other groups which defense mechanism you will be demonstrating. • The rest of the class will guess which one you are demonstrating through your skit.