Name of Defense Description Example Mechanism Burying a painful feeling or thought from your awareness You can't remember your father's Repression though it may resurface in symbolic form. Sometimes funeral. considered a basis of other defense mechanisms. You are arrested for drunk driving Denial Not accepting reality because it is too painful. several times but don't believe you have a problem with alcohol. You and your roommate have get into Reverting to an older, less mature way of handling Regression an argument so you stomp off into stresses and feelings another room and pout Attributing your own unacceptable thoughts or feelings to You get really mad at your husband but Projection someone or something else scream that he's the one mad at you. You think your best friend is absolutely Everything in the world is seen as all good or all bad with Splitting worthless because he forgot a lunch nothing in between. date with you. Attempting to avoid a painful thought or feeling by Acting aloof and indifferent toward Isolation of affect objectifying and emotionally detaching oneself from the someone when you really dislike that feeling person When you get mad at your sister, you Channeling a feeling or thought from its actual source to Displacement break your drinking glass by throwing it something or someone else. against the wall. Adopting beliefs, attitudes, and feelings contrary to what When you say you're not angry when Reaction Formation you really believe you really are. I always study hard for tests and I know Justifying one's behaviors and motivations by substituting Rationalization a lot of people who cheat so it's not a "good", acceptable reasons for these real motivations big deal I cheated this time. After your wife dies, you keep yourself Altruism Handling your own pain by helping others. busy by volunteering at your church. A person's treatment for cancer makes Humor Focusing on funny aspects of a painful situation. him lose his hair so he makes jokes about being bald. Intense rage redirected in the form of Redirecting unacceptable, instinctual drives into Sublimation participation in sports such as boxing or personally and socially acceptable channels football The effort to hide and control unacceptable thoughts or You are attracted to someone but say Suppression feelings that you really don't like the person at all Trying to reverse or "undo" a thought or feeling by You have feelings of dislike for Undoing performing an action that signifies an opposite feeling than someone so you buy them a gift your original thought or feeling http://www.utahpsych.org/defensemechanisms.htm