Ego defense mechanisms are unconscious psychological strategies used to protect an individual from anxiety arising from unacceptable thoughts or feelings.
Common Defense Mechanisms & Clinical Scenarios
- Projection: Attributing one's own unacceptable thoughts or feelings to someone else. Example: A student who dislikes a teacher claims that the teacher hates them.
- Displacement: Redirecting an impulse or feeling from a threatening target to a safer, less threatening one. Example: A husband who is angry at his boss comes home and yells at his dog.
- Rationalization: Creating socially acceptable explanations for behaviors that are driven by less acceptable motives. Example: An applicant who fails an exam states, 'I didn't really want this job anyway.'
- Sublimation: Channeling unacceptable impulses into socially constructive activities. (Considered a mature defense mechanism). Example: An aggressive individual becomes a boxer.
- Regression: Reverting to behaviors characteristic of an earlier developmental stage. Example: A hospitalized school-aged child begins wetting the bed.
