Defense Mechanisms Practice

Today in class we practiced identifying examples of Defense Mechanisms in action.

• Here are some additional practice items that people got to work on in class.
• And, here is the answer key so you can check your understanding.

Too Good to Pass Up!

Okay, I generally try to limit my posts here to one a day, but this one was too good to pass up, given what we've just been talking about in class.

The bloggers at Mind Hacks shared some interesting information about How Death Row Inmates Cope with Impending Death. The pieces of research discussed tie in very nicely with our study of the psychoanalytic perspective, defense mechanisms and mental illness in prison in general.

Confused about Defense Mechanisms?

Struggling to remember and differentiate between all those Freudian defense mechanisms we discussed in class? Michael Britt to the rescue again! Although this time we don't have a cool mnemonic video, Mr. Britt shares with us an audio podcast littered with examples of defense mechanisms in action.

The chart (provided by Britt) to the right organizes the info in the podcast for you quite nicely. Click on it for a larger image. It doesn't go over all of the nine I shared with you in class, but it's a good reference. To see show notes and more information about this episode of the PsychFiles, click here.

On a related note, check out this article on the neuroscience behind the Freudian concept of transference: "Are You My Mother? Psychological Transference May Be More Pronounced When We Are Tired"