This document discusses several common defense mechanisms identified by Sigmund Freud including repression, denial, displacement, projection, reaction formation, rationalization, compensation, regression, and fantasy. It provides brief definitions and examples of each defense mechanism and notes potential problems with relying on each one.

1. Sigmund FreudSigmund Freud
Defense MechanismsDefense Mechanisms
Malik ManasrahMalik Manasrah
Najah National UniversityNajah National University

2. RepressionRepression
What you do:
• Keep painful thoughts and feelings away from
consciousness.
• Don’t think about it!
Examples:
• Early abuse
• Lies you have told
• Painful memories
Problems:
• Diverts needed energy
• Blocks out stressful situations that could be
worked out

3. DenialDenial
• Ego feels anxiety from
perception of strong
external or internal
danger it can’t escape
or deal with directly
What you do:
• Tell yourself it is not
happening
• Tell yourself it is not
your fault
• Conscious denial

4. DisplacementDisplacement
Feeling:
• anxiety
• anger
What you do:
• Direct the feeling
away from its
actual target to
another, safer
target

5. ProjectionProjectionWhat you do:
• Attribute your own undesirable impulses,
feeling, or desires to another person
Examples:
• “I hate her” really means “I think she hates
me”
Problems:
• Misperceive the other person’s motivations
• Don’t deal with your own feelings
• Overreaction

6. Reaction-FormationReaction-Formation
What you do:
• In defense against the threatening
impulse, express the opposite impulse.
Examples:
• Someone frightens you so you act super
nice
• Someone frightens you so you snub them
• The sex offender becomes the great
protector of society.
Problems:
• False persona

7. RationalizationRationalization
What you do:
• Make up excuses for inadequacies,
failure, or loss
Examples:
• If I had wanted to try hard, I could
have done it too.
• If my friend were more
understanding, I wouldn’t have to
loose my temper.
• If I wanted to I could have a body
like his/hers.
• If I had better teachers, I would
have gotten higher grades.
Problems:
• Energy would be better spent on
improving.
• The truth catches up with you.

8. CompensationCompensation
What you do:
• Develop or strengthen positive traits to make up
for limitations
• Distract attention from the weaknesses
Examples:
• Weak in school, excellent in sports.
• Class clown
Problems:
• Unbalanced
• Incompetent in some areas

9. RegressionRegression
What you do:
• Revert back to behavior of an
earlier stage
• Use childhood coping
mechanisms
Examples:
• Temper tantrums, swearing,
fighting, sulking, crying
Problems:
• Does not solve the problem
• People think you are immature
• You are not learning to cope well

10. FantasyFantasyWhat you do:
• Dreaming, imagining instead of living in the present world,
because you don’t feel competent to achieve.
• Pretending
Examples:
• Wanting to look good and pretending to yourself that you
are one of the movie stars you read about.
• Making up stories about how successful you are, rather
than working on your success.
Problems:
• You get stuck in the fantasy rather than
using your talents to become successful.