SUBJECT: ADVANCE CLINICAL NURSING

SEMINAR
ON
DEFENCE MECHANISM

SUBMITTED TO, SUBMITTED BY,

MRS JYOTI LAXMI ROSHITA G PILLAI

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR M SC (N) 1ST YEAR

MENTAL HEALTH NURSING

SUBJECT: - ADVANCE CLINICAL NURSING

TOPIC: - DEFENCE MECHANISM

NO, OF STUDENTS:-

TIME:-

STUDENT TEACHER: - ROSHITA G PILLAI

SUPERVISED BY: - Mrs JYOTI LAXMI

A.V.AIDS:- CHARTS, FLIP BOOK, FLASH CARDS, CHALK BOARD AND LCD PRESENTATION

METHODS OF TEACHING: - LECTURE CUM DISCUSSION

VENUE: - SHREYAS COLLEGE OF NURSING, G.E ROAD, BHILAI

CLASS: - M.SC NURSING 1ST YEAR

PREVIOUS KNOWLEDGE: - ‘STUDENTS ARE HAVING INADEQUATE KNOWLEDGE

REGARDING THE TOPIC ‘DEFENCE MECHANISM’

CENTRAL OBJECTIVE:-
At the end of seminar they will have in depth knowledge about the topic “DEFENCE MECHANISM”

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE:-
At the end of seminar, students will be able to:-

1. Introduction of defence mechanism

2. Definition of defence mechanism
3. Purpose of defence mechanism
4. Classification of defence mechanism
INTRODUCTION:-
Defence mechanisms are those adaptive responses identified by Anna Freud in 1953 and that are employed
by the ego in the face of threat to biological and psychological integrity. This is also known as adjustment
mechanism. Some of these ego defence mechanism are more adaptive than other, but all are used either
consciously as a protective device for the ego in an effort to relieve mild to moderate anxiety.

Most notably used by Sigmund Freud in his psychoanalytic theory, a defence mechanism is a tactic
developed by the ego to protect against anxiety. In some instances, defence mechanisms are thought to keep
inappropriate or unwanted thoughts and impulses from entering the conscious mind.

DEFINITION:-
Defence mechanism is a pattern of adjustment through which an individual relieves anxiety caused by an
uncomfortable situation that threatens self-esteem. When these defence mechanisms are used moderately are
harmless but excessive and persistent defence use is harmful

OR

Defence mechanisms are thought to safeguard the mind against feelings and thoughts that are too difficult
for the conscious mind to cope with.

PURPOSE OF DEFENCE MECHANISM:-

Self-security protection

Anxiety (or fear) reduction

Mental conflict resolution

Esteem (self) protection

CLASSIFICATION OF DEFENCE MECHANISM:-

These defence mechanisms are classified according to its results-

1. Positive defence mechanism

2. Negative defence mechanism

POSITIVE DEFENCE MECHANISM

1. Compensation
2. Substitution
3. Sublimation
4. Rationalization
5. Repression
6. Undoing
7. Identification
8. Transference
9. Intellectualization
10. Introjection
NEGATIVE DEFENCE MECHANISM

1. Suppression
2. Displacement
3. Projection
4. Regression
5. Fixation
6. Fantasy
7. Reaction formation
8. Conversion
9. Dissociation
10. Denial

COMPENSATION:-

Compensation is a pattern by which tension or anxiety relieved by an individual make up for personal
weakness.

EXAMPLE:-

A student who fails in his studies may compensate by becoming the college champion in athletics.

A plain girl, who cannot compete with her more beautiful sisters, may compensate by studying hard and
come 1st in her class.

SUBSTITUTION: -

It is a mechanism by which tension or anxiety reduced by replacing the unachievable goal with achievable
goal.

EXAMPLE:

A student who has not been able to get admission to the MBBS course may try to substitute it with a course
of physiotherapy or nursing.

A person aspires to become a national level cricket player and not selected. He may substitute this goal by
being a coach at college level.

SUBLIMATION: -

It is a mechanism that causes channelization of socially unacceptable desires into acceptable form. In this
mechanism primitive impulses are transferred or directed to a socially useful goal.

EXAMPLE:-

A teenage boy with strong competitive and aggressive feelings becomes a football player.

A young man who has lost his lover may turn to write poetry about love.

A person who has aggressive feeling and cannot express in society can become a soldier or boxer.
RATIONALIZATION:-

It is a defence mechanism in which an individual justifies his failures and socially unacceptable feelings and
behaviours by making excuses or formulate logical reasons / socially approved reasons.

EXAMPLE:-

A husband does not enjoy the company of wife outside the home and usually leave his wife at home. He
gives logic that his wife is social shy.

A girl fails to get admission for the nursing course may point out a number of difficulties of nursing
profession.

A person without a vehicle says that he does not want to risk his life by driving.

REPRESSION:-

Repression is a process of unconscious forgetfulness of our unpleasant experiences.

Repression is the involuntary blocking of unpleasant feelings and experiences from one’s awareness.

EXAMPLE:-

In the Oedipus complex, aggressive thoughts about the same sex parents are repressed and pushed down into
the unconscious.

UNDOING:-

Undoing is the act symbolically cancelling or reversing out a previous act which is unacceptable.

EXAMPLE:-

A man is jealous of his good friend’s success but is unaware of his feeling of jealousy

A daughter shout at her father as there is no petrol in the car and is getting late for office, brings a favourite
film for her father to watch. This is an example of undoing her behaviour of shouting and then bringing a
film.

IDENTIFICATION:-

Through this process, an individual attempts to increase self-worth by acquiring certain attributes and
characteristics of an individual one admires. It plays a large part in the development of personality. In this
individual feels personal satisfaction in the success and achievement of other group or person.

EXAMPLE:-

The young son of a famous civil rights worker adopts his father’s attitudes and behaviour with the intent of
pursuing similar aspirations.

An illiterate father often takes his son’s higher education as his own achievement.
TRANSFERENCE:-

In transference, the image of one person is unconsciously identified with that of another.

EXAMPLE:-

A patient who is fond of his daughter finds the nurse of the same age and height as his daughter. So he
transfers his positive emotions to the nurse as his daughter. It is also possible that if he dislikes his daughter
he transfers his negative emotions to the nurse by being rude, abusive, or aggressive without any cause.

INTELLECTUALIZATION:-

Intellectualization is an attempt to avoid expressing actual emotions associated with a stressful situation by
using the intellectual processes of logic, reasoning and analysis.

INTROJECTION:-

In introjection the values and characteristics of significant persons are incorporated in one’s personality.

EXAMPLE:-

A young professor receives a letter from his fiancée breaking off their engagement. He shows no emotion
when discussing this with his best friend. Instead he analyses his fiancée’s behavior and tries to reason why
the relationship failed

A women who likes to live in a simple way introjects in her the sophisticated way, of living likes her
husband

SUPPRESSION:-

Suppression is the voluntary blocking of unpleasant feelings and experiences from one’s awareness to avoid
discomfort and anxiety.

EXAMPLE:-

Student consciously decides not to think about her insult in examinations hall so that he can study
effectively.

A patient may refuse to consider his difficulties by saying that he does not want to talk about it.

DISPLACEMENT:-

In this defence mechanism an unconsciously emotional feeling is transferred to person or object who are less
dangerous than those who initially aroused the emotion. An individual who is using displacement is unaware
of this at that time, but later he can realize it.

EXAMPLE:-

A person who is angry with his boss but cannot show it for fear of losing the job may fight with his wife on
return from the office.
PROJECTION:-

Placing blame for own difficulties upon others. Here, others are seen as responsible for own mistakes. One’s
own unacceptable feelings and thoughts are expressed as they are due to others.

EXAMPLE:-

A surgeon who did mistake in operation may insist that it happened because theatre nurse and ward boy did
their task badly.

A businessperson who values punctuality is late for a meeting and states , “sorry I’m late. My assistant
forgot to remind me of the time.

REGRESSION:-

Regression means an immature way of responding to a stress or go backwards. In this the adult revert back
to an earlier developmental level in order to deal with reality. An individual does less mature form of
behavior when faced with difficulties, where he finds less conflict hence less anxiety. Adults too may
regress to the oral stage of development and suck their thumb when life gets stressful.

EXAMPLE:-

Nurse makes an error in giving medication and starts crying.

A person who is depressed may withdraw to his or her room, curl up in a fetal position on the bed.

FIXATION:-

Fixation refers to the point in the individual’s development at which certain aspects of the emotional
development do not advance.

FANTACY:-

Fantasy is used to gratify frustrated desires by imaginary achievements and wishful thinking. The tendency
of day dreaming is most common during adolescence.

EXAMPLE:- Thumb sucking continuously till adult age. An unmarried, middle aged man still depends on
his mother to provide his basic needs.

A young boy who could not help his ailing father due to shortage of money, day dreams that he has got lot
of money from lottery ticket and his father, mother and family members has best of the facilities for
everything.

REACTION FORMATION:-

In this defence mechanism the unacceptable real feelings are repressed and acceptable opposite feelings are
expressed. It is defined as unconscious transformation of unacceptable impulse into exactly opposite
attitudes, impulse, feelings or behaviors.

EXAMPLE:-

Women who actually dislike her mother in law hide her feelings by being always nice to her.
CONVERSION:-

In this pattern of defence mechanism strong emotional conflicts which are not expressed are converted into
physical symptoms.

It has two benefit for person-

 It resolves the conflict

 It brings him a great deal of attention and sympathy.

EXAMPLE:-

A student nurse, who is very anxious about her examination, may develop a headache.

DISSOCIATION:-

Dissociation is involuntary suppression of a mental function from rest of personality in a manner that allows
expression of forbidden unconscious impulse without having any sense of responsibility for actions.

EXAMPLE:- Partial amnesia.

DENIAL:-

Any individual refuses to face the reality. It protects the individual from shock of reality. Person
unconsciously use this mechanism and this reaction is for some time. Denial is quite harmless if practiced in
moderation but can lead to serious difficulties in health and life style if practiced in excess.

EXAMPLE:-

When some very near and dear one die in the family. Some people say no, he is still alive.

CONCLUSION:-

While defence mechanisms are often thought of as negative reactions, we all need them to
temporarily ease stress and protect self-esteem during critical times, allowing US to focus on
what is necessary in the moment. Some of these defences can be more helpful than others.
For example, utilizing humour to overcome a stressful, anxiety-provoking situation can
actually be an adaptive defence mechanism.

A Word from Verywell “Some of the best known defence mechanisms have become a
common part of everyday language.”
BIBLIOGRAPHY:-

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