Defense Mechanism

The refusal to acknowledge what has, is, or will happen.

Place unwanted/ unpleasant feelings on to someone less threatening or on an innocent bystander.

Taking your own emotions and placing it onto others.  (Depressed, paranoid, anxiety)

Mostly used with clients diagnosed with BPD, identifies someone else with their feelings, however he/she does not demonstrate those emotions.

To identify characteristics of a person and incorporate them into ones own self.

• Used by BPD
• they identify a person as either all good or all bad

Making excuses and/or justifying actions to avoid unwanted feelings.

Using logic and reason to avoid dealing with your emotions.

A healthy redirection of an emotion. Ie kick boxing class

• Repression is I often thought of as the parent of all defenses. 
• repression/suppression involves putting painful thoughts and memories out of our minds and forgetting them.

When we have a reaction that is too painful or threatening we turn it into the opposite. Experience a family loss but shows a happy mood.

• Taking back ones unwanted behaviors through praises and gifts. 
• Used by parents n DV abusers.

Expressing no emotionality when confronted with difficult events.