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Defense Mechanisms. What is a defense Mechanism?. Answer: Your response to the environment around you. Ways that people react to stressful situations There are healthy and unhealthy ways of dealing with problems. Is it healthy to use a defense mechanism?.
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What is a defense Mechanism? • Answer: • Your response to the environment around you. • Ways that people react to stressful situations There are healthy and unhealthy ways of dealing with problems.
Is it healthy to use a defense mechanism? • A defense mechanism is only a problem when its persistent use leads to behavior that effects mental or physical health.
Why do people use defense mechanisms? • The purpose of the Ego Defense Mechanism is to protect the mind/self/ego from anxiety, social sanctions or to provide a refuge from a situation with which one cannot currently cope. • >>> In simple terms: You use this to make it through an uncomfortable situation you don’t think you can deal with.
What is your response to the environment when… • 1. Your car breaks down? • 2. A family member dies? • 3. You get promoted? • 4. You get that perfect date?
Denial • You choose not to accept what is happening or what has happened in order to make it through the situation.
Direct Attack • A response to a threat to your self-esteem. You attack the source that attacked you.
Compensation • Using a different method to achieve the same goal. • Example: Sam is bad at basketball so he tries baseball instead.
Rationalization • Explaining your weaknesses or failures by giving socially acceptable excuses. • Example: Failing a test and blaming it on the subject matter or the teacher rather than not studying.
Displacement • When you transfer emotion connected with one person to an unrelated person or thing. • Example: Someone who abuses their pets or family members after a bad day at work.
Conversion • Transfer the energy of a desire you cannot express into a physical symptom or complaint • Example: Sweaty hands because you are nervous.
Regression • Revert back to a less mature stage of life.
Idealization • Value something far more than it’s worth. • This thing could be yourself and you begin to act conceded.
Daydreaming • Accomplish something in your imagination that you cannot accomplish in reality. • Example: Dreaming about becoming a movie star.
Giving Up • Discouraged with feelings that the world is against you.