Ebook: The Development of Defense Mechanisms: Theory, Research, and Assessment

The idea that the human mind-that faculty of the intellect which we use to define and discern the truth-might also be used to deceive itself is not new. The classic orator Demosthenes warned of this possibility in 349 B.C. when he wrote that "Nothing is more easy than to deceive one's self; what a man wishes he generally believes to be true." 1 Even Jean Jacques Rousseau, who suggested the possibility of man as "noble savage," alerts us to this paradox, when he writes "Jamais fa nature ne nous trompe; c'est toujours nous qui nous trompons" ("Nature never deceives us; it is always we who deceive ourselves). 2 But it was Sigmund Freud who placed this idea firmly into the field of psychopathology and then, later, into a general psychological theory. According to Freud, understanding the function of a defense mechanism means not only fathoming the origin of pathological symptoms but also comprehending a model of the mind that includes both conscious and unconscious mental processes. From this initial focus on the general process of defense, Freud and his followers went on to identify various forms this process might take, with the result that today we have a list of 3 more than 37 defense mechanisms described in the literature.

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Content:
Front Matter....Pages i-xiii
Front Matter....Pages 1-1
The Concept of Defense....Pages 3-14
The Concept of Defense Mechanism Development....Pages 15-35
Denial....Pages 36-61
Projection....Pages 62-83
Identification....Pages 84-112
Front Matter....Pages 113-113
Approaches to Measuring Defenses: The Defense Mechanisms Inventory....Pages 115-135
Other Approaches to Measuring Defenses: Derived Questionnaires, Self-Report Inventories, and Self-Other Ratings....Pages 136-155
Other Approaches to Measuring Defenses: Story Completion and Clinical Interviews....Pages 156-179
Other Approaches to Measuring Defenses: Projective Tests and Perceptual Defense Paradigms....Pages 180-194
Summary of Research: Defense Mechanisms and Their Relationship to Other Psychological Variables....Pages 195-205
Experimental Studies of Defense....Pages 206-212
Front Matter....Pages 213-213
The Defense Mechanism Manual....Pages 215-234
Psychometric Features....Pages 235-258
Research Findings....Pages 259-267
Back Matter....Pages 269-338

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Content:
Front Matter....Pages i-xiii
Front Matter....Pages 1-1
The Concept of Defense....Pages 3-14
The Concept of Defense Mechanism Development....Pages 15-35
Denial....Pages 36-61
Projection....Pages 62-83
Identification....Pages 84-112
Front Matter....Pages 113-113
Approaches to Measuring Defenses: The Defense Mechanisms Inventory....Pages 115-135
Other Approaches to Measuring Defenses: Derived Questionnaires, Self-Report Inventories, and Self-Other Ratings....Pages 136-155
Other Approaches to Measuring Defenses: Story Completion and Clinical Interviews....Pages 156-179
Other Approaches to Measuring Defenses: Projective Tests and Perceptual Defense Paradigms....Pages 180-194
Summary of Research: Defense Mechanisms and Their Relationship to Other Psychological Variables....Pages 195-205
Experimental Studies of Defense....Pages 206-212
Front Matter....Pages 213-213
The Defense Mechanism Manual....Pages 215-234
Psychometric Features....Pages 235-258
Research Findings....Pages 259-267
Back Matter....Pages 269-338
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