Roxan G.
Moquerio
BSN 3B
NCM 117 LEC
ACTIVITY: Freud's Defense Mechanism Pre Lecture Assignment
Instructor: Sandra T. Gruy, MAN, RN
Defense Mechanism Description
Denial Denial is a defense
mechanism in which an
individual is faced with a fact
that is too uncomfortable to
accept and rejects it instead,
insisting that it is not true.
Repression Repression is a defense
mechanism in which an
individual unconsciously
pushes distressing thoughts,
feelings, and memories out of
their awareness.
Projection Projection is a defense
mechanism in which an
individual attributes their own
thoughts, feelings, or motives
to someone else.
Displacement Displacement is a defense
mechanism in which an
individual redirects their
emotions from a more
threatening target to a less
threatening one.
Rationalization Rationalization is a defense
mechanism in which an
individual creates false but
plausible justifications to
explain their behavior.
Intellectualization Intellectualization is a
defense mechanism in which
an individual attempts to
distance themselves
emotionally from a situation
by focusing on the intellectual
components.
Sublimation Sublimation is a defense
Example
A student who is accused of
cheating on an exam refuses
to believe it, even though
there is clear evidence.
A woman who experienced a
traumatic event as a child can
no longer remember the
details, but still feels uneasy
when thinking about it.
A person who is jealous of
their coworker accuses them
of being jealous of them
instead.
After an argument with their
boss, a person comes home
and yells at their spouse.
A person who fails a test
blames it on the instructor,
saying that they were not
teaching the material
adequately.
A person who is grieving the
death of a loved one focuses
on the scientific aspects of
death and avoids talking
about their feelings.
A person who has a strong
 mechanism in which an
individual redirects
unacceptable impulses or
desires into socially
acceptable behavior.
Suppression Suppression is the conscious
effort to avoid certain
thoughts, feelings, and
behaviors, or to keep them
out of consciousness.
Conversion Conversion is characterized
by the transformation of
psychological pain or distress
into physiological impairment,
typically of sensory or motor
symptoms such as blindness,
paralysis, seizures, etc.
(Sundbom, Binzer, &
Kullgren, 1999).
Dissociation Dissociation refers to the
experience where the client
experiences a short-lived gap
in consciousness in response
to anxiety and stress.
Isolation Isolation is defined as the act
of creating a mental or
cognitive barrier around
threatening thoughts and
feelings, isolating them from
other cognitive processes
(Baumeister et al., 1998).
Splitting Splitting refers to the
mechanism where individuals
are considered either only
good or only bad, but never a
desire to hit someone when
angry instead takes up
boxing as a way to release
their anger.
During the therapy session,
Bella refuses to recall her
memories toward her late
best friend. She actively
works against these
memories through a variety of
techniques (e.g., ignoring
them, changing the topic, or
just refusing). When pushed,
she tells her therapist that
quite simply, she ‘cannot go
there.’
Matthew has experienced
extreme trauma and distress
while relocating. A few days
later, Matthew wakes up to
find that he is blind.
Katherine is recalling an
especially traumatic
experience to her therapist.
While recalling the
experience, Katherine feels
overwhelmingly exhausted
and cannot control her
yawning.
During her session, Emily is
describing an argument with
her husband and is about to
describe a thought that she
remembers thinking during
the argument.
When Cary receives the help
and favors that she asks for,
she describes the people who
satisfy these needs in very
 mix of both.
Compensation Compensation refers to the
client’s attempt to make up
for what they consider to be
their flaws or shortcomings or
for dissatisfaction in one
domain of their lives
(Hentschel, Smith, Draguns,
& Ehlers, 2004).
Undoing Undoing refers to a behavior
when individuals ruminate on
previous events, replaying
and reimagining them as a
way to change what
happened and, as a result,
help protect against certain
feelings or behaviors
(Baumeister et al., 1998).
Introjection Introjection is similar to
identification (Cramer, 1991,
2006).
Reference: Nortje, A. (12 April 2021). Defense Mechanism in Psychology. Retrieve from
https://positivepsychology.com/defense-mechanisms-in-psychology/ on February 18, 2023.
positive terms. They’re
extremely helpful, loving, and
patient, and in response, she
shows them love and
affection.
One day, she asks her friend
to help her financially, but her
friend is unable to assist. In
response, Cary becomes
extremely upset, and she
turns against this friend,
describing her as “unreliable,”
“good for nothing,” and
“selfish.”
Jeffrey is bullied at school by
the other boys because of his
slim build. In response,
Jeffrey exercises regularly.
He undertakes an intense
exercise program, drinks
protein shakes, and is very
diligent in his strength
training.
Jayme recently argued with a
customer, lost his temper,
and consequently lost that
customer’s contract. He is
very angry about the
outcome. He relives this
argument, ruminating on how
he should have responded,
and imagines delivering a
precise retort and
embarrassing the client.
Agatha experiences
introjection related to her
highly critical mother as the
internal voice that
continuously criticizes and
berates her. As a result,
Agatha has developed low
self-esteem and often runs
herself down.