1. Defense Mechanisms

2. A Defense Mechanism is a mental process of self-deception that reduces our awareness of threatening or anxiety producing thoughts, wishes or memories

3. Attributed to Anna Freud, Sigmund’s daughter Part of the Psychoanalytic Theory

4. Common Defense Mechanisms

5. 1. Repression Primitive; our first line of defense - pushing thoughts from the mind, sometimes permanently Very similar to denial

6. 2. Projection Consciously experiencing an unconscious drive and attributing it to someone else; i.e. - you are in a bad mood but accuse someone else of being in a bad mood

7. 3. Rationalization Using conscious reasoning to explain away anxiety-producing thoughts; i.e. - a sexual abuser rationalizes that a 4 year old was ‘coming on to him’

8. 4. Reaction Formation Doing or saying the opposite of how we really feel because our true feelings are unacceptable; i.e. - a woman who doesn’t want her child becomes overprotective and smothering

9. 5. Displacement Unacceptable unconscious wishes or drives are redirected toward someone or something else; i.e. - punching your pillow to vent anger

10. 6. Sublimation Turning unacceptable urges into their opposites that are acceptable to society; i.e. - Martin Luther King Jr. channelled his anger into activism

11. AP Psychology - Defense Mechanisms Defense Mechanisms - AP Psychology Flipped Lesson – YouTube Defense Mechanisms - AP Psychology Flipped Lesson – YouTube 12 minutes

12. The Problems The problems with using defense mechanisms are that they distort reality and keep us from taking action to improve a situation, so in the end, they actually hurt us

13. The best defense is no defense at all… confront the problem directly Robbie Robertson, song-writer and guitarist from ‘The Band’ ‘Stage-fright’ song The Band, Stage Fright - YouTube