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Ego Defenses in Psychiatric Disorders
Ego Defenses in Psychiatric Disorders
to a stressful situation.
WHAT THE HISTORY SAYS
Freud’s conceptions of the function of defense was subsequently reconciled by
Anna Freud (1936)- broader purpose of protecting the ego by “warding off”
anxiety and guilt feelings.
Further distinctions were made between the need to protect the ego from internal
and from external sources of danger.
External danger to the ego was said to occur when children fear to disobey
parents’ prohibitions, resulting in “objective anxiety”
LEVEL 1: PATHOLOGICAL
LEVEL 2: IMMATURE
LEVEL 3: NEUROTIC
LEVEL 4: MATURE
PATHOLOGICAL DEFENSES
or group
IMMATURE DEFENSES
expressive behaviour.
outer conflicts.
Hypochondriasis
NEUROTIC DEFENSES
Perry, J. C., Presniak, M. D., & Olson, T. R. (2013). Defense mechanisms in schizotypal, borderline,
antisocial, and narcissistic personality disorders. Psychiatry: Interpersonal & Biological Processes, 76(1),
32-52.
Johansen, P. Ø., Krebs, T. S., Svartberg, M., Stiles, T. C., & Holen, A. (2011). Change in defense
mechanisms during short-term dynamic and cognitive therapy in patients with cluster C personality
disorders. The Journal of nervous and mental disease, 199(9), 712-715.
Beghi, M., Negrini, P. B., Perin, C., Peroni, F., Magaudda, A., Cerri, C., & Cornaggia, C. M. (2015).
Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures: so-called psychiatric comorbidity and underlying defense
mechanisms. Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment, 11, 2519.
Heldt, E., Blaya, C., Kipper, L., Salum, G. A., Otto, M. W., & Manfro, G. G. (2007). Defense mechanisms
after brief cognitive-behavior group therapy for panic disorder: One-year follow-up. The Journal of
nervous and mental disease, 195(6), 540-543.
Landmark, T., Stiles, T. C., Fors, E. A., Holen, A., & Borchgrevink, P. C. (2008). Defense
mechanisms in patients with fibromyalgia and major depressive disorder. The European Journal of
Psychiatry, 22(4), 185-193.
Vaillant, G.E (1993). Maturity of ego defense in relation to DSM-III axis personality disorder
Archives of general Psychiatry, 42(6), 597-601