The document defines and provides examples of various ego defense mechanisms, which are psychological protective devices used by the individual to avoid psychological dangers and distress. Some of the defense mechanisms discussed include compensation, displacement, denial, fixation, substitution, conversion, identification, introjection, reaction formation, transference, suppression, sublimation, repression, regression, rationalization, and projection. The document concludes by stating that understanding these defense mechanisms has applications in nursing.

1. MS.SNEHAL PATIL.
2ND YR P.B.B.Sc.

2. DEFINITION :
The individual has devices for
protecting himself against
psychological dangers & distress.
These protective devices are known
as ego defences or defence
mechanism or mental mechanism
or dynamism.

3. COMPENSATION:
 An attempt to make up for deficiency by directing his
energies to another aspect of one’s personality in
which no deficiency exists.

4. DISPLACEMENT:
 An emotional feeling is transferred to person or object
who are less dangerous than those who initially
aroused the emotion.

5. DENIAL:
 The individual does not accept the existence of
something that is disturbing.

6. FIXATION:
 It refers to a point of individual’s development at
which certain aspects of the emotional development is
not advance.

7. SUBSTITUTION:
 Adjustive mechanism in which original goals or desires
are substituted by others.

8. CONVERSION:
 Strong emotional conflicts are expressed or as
converted into physical symptoms.

9. IDENTIFICATION:
 Adjustment mechanism which enables one to achieve
satisfaction from the successes of other people , groups
or organization.

10. INTROJECTION:
The values & characteristics of
significant persons are incorporated in
one’s personality.
E.g. A woman who likes to live in a
simple way introjects in her the
sophisticated way, of living like her
husband.

11. REACTION FORMATION:
 The unacceptable real feelings are repressed &
acceptable opposite feelings are expressed.

12. TRANSFERENCE :
Image of one person is unconsciously
identified with that of another.
e.g. A patient who is fond of his daughter
finds the nurse of the same age &
height as his daughter. So he transfers
his positive emotions to his nurse as his
daughter.

13. SUPPRESSION:
 Voluntary postponement of focusing of attention on
an impulse which has reached conscious awareness.

14. SUBLIMATION:
 Unacceptable desires or activities are redirected into
socially desirable channels.

15. REPRESSION:
Strong emotional ideas or unpleasant
memories which do not fit in with our
social values & norms , are split off
from consciousness & thrown into the
unconscious.
e.g. a man is jealous of his success but is
unaware of his feelings of jealousy.

16. REGRESSION:
It is a mechanism of going from the
present pattern to the past level of
behaviour. The individual returns to
pattern of behaviour that were
successful in earlier stages of
development.
e.g. Tears & temper tantrums in adult.

17. RATIONALIZATION:
Providing logical explanations for
irrational behaviour motivated by
unacceptable unconscious wishes.

18. PROJECTION:
 Popular method of resolving conflict. One’s own
unacceptable feelings & thoughts are expressed as if
they are due to others.

19. INCORPORATION:
 A lost or something prohibited source of identification
is introduced into the ego structure with out
transformation of ego.
e.g. A young married woman who has referred for
treatment by her husband because of her recent crying
spells & inability to care for her home & infant. The
patient stated that she was afraid as she was like her
mother & she disliked her self for these traits of her
mother which she has incorporated with her.

20. APPLICATION IN NURSING