| A | B |
|---|
| the unconsciou pushing of anxiety producing thoughts and issues out of the conscious and into the unconscious | Repression |
| seeking of success in one area of life as a substitute for success in another area of life in which the individual is barred from excelling because of personal or environmental barriers. | Compensation |
| A mechanism by which anxiety is transformed into a physical dysfunction such as paralysis or blindness that does not have a physiological basis. | Conversion |
| Refusal to acknowledge an aspect of reality, including one's experience, because to do so would result in overwhelming anxiety. | Denial |
| Shifting of negative feelings one has about a person or situation onto a different person or situation | Displacement |
| A mechanism by which anxiety is handled through identifying with the person or thing producing the anxiety, such a identifying with the kidnapper. | Identification |
| A mechanism by which painful feelings are separated from the incident that triggered them initially. | Isolation of Affect |
| A mechanism by which anxiety is handled through talking and thinking about issues rather than dealing with the underlying feelings. | Intellectualization |
| A mechanism by which ones's own negative characteristics are denied and instead seen as being characteristics of someone else. | Projection |
| A mechanism by which a person substitutes a more socially acceptable reason for an action for the actual reason. | Rationalization |
| Adopting a behavior that is the antithesis of the instinctual urge, e.g., | Reaction Formation |
| Reverting to more primitive modes of coping associated with earlier and safer developmental periods. | Regression |
| A mechanism by which intolerable drives or desires are diverted into activities which are acceptable. | Sublimation |
| A mechanism by which a person replaces an unacceptable goal with an acceptable one. | Substitution |
| A mechanism by which an individual engages in a repetitious ritual in an attempt to reverse an action previously taken | Undoing |
| Most known for identifying defense mechanisms | Anna Freud |
