DEFENCE MECHANISMS

“Your heart is the centre of all you do, all you feel, and all you think. It is
child-like, vulnerable, and carefree until it learns to protect itself from being
hurt. The defences that we use act as walls to protect against emotional pain.
Following is a list of typical “walls” we use to protect our hearts. Which walls
do you identify with? Think of times when you are struggling the most and ask
yourself which of these sets of behaviour’s you use.
1. INTRODUCTION
Sigmund Freud, known as the father of psychoanalysis, began the
discussion of defense mechanisms in the nineteenth century, in relation
to the subconscious defenses of the id, ego, and superego. The term defense
mechanism was coined over 100 years ago to describe a construct of
psychological mechanism for coping with intrapsychic conflicts. These initial
defense mechanisms were more clearly defined and analyzed by his
daughter, Anna Freud, in the twentieth century. She created 10 major defense
mechanisms, but the number of mechanisms has since been increased by later
psychoanalysts.

Defense mechanisms are the behaviours people use to separate themselves

from unpleasant events, actions, or thoughts. These psychological strategies
may help people put distance between themselves and threats or unwanted
feelings, such as guilt or shame.

The idea of defense mechanisms comes from psychoanalytic theory, a

psychological perspective of personality that sees personality as the interaction
between three components: id, ego, and super ego.

First proposed by Sigmund Freud, this theory has evolved over time and
contends that behaviours, like defense mechanisms, are not under a person’s
conscious control. In fact, most people do them without realizing the strategy
they’re using.

Defense mechanisms are a normal, natural part of psychological

development. Identifying which type you, your loved ones, even your co-
workers use can help you in future conversations and encounters.
2. A HISTORY OF THE CONCEPT OF DEFENSE:
Freud first introduced the term in "The neuro-psychoses of defense"(1894).
• “In order to ward off unacceptable ideas or feelings that would cause
"distressing affect," a person unconsciously resorts to certain mental processes
that oppose these ideas or feelings and render them less disturbing. These
mental processes, which take place outside the person's awareness, he called
"defenses”.
• In 1936, Anna Freud published The Ego and the Mechanisms of Defense. She
elaborated and clarified the concept of defense.
• She constructed a list of these "special methods of defense," which by now
were called "defense mechanisms. “
• Wilhelm: -individual's defensive operations become embedded in his or her
personality or character and that these traits of character must be analysed along
with the content of the person's associations, memories, feelings, and dreams.
3. TERMINOLOGY:
1. DEFINE PERSONALITY:
Personality refers to individual differences in characteristic patterns of
thinking, feeling and behaving. The study of personality focuses on two broad
areas: One is understanding individual differences in
particular personality characteristics, such as sociability or irritability.
Personality is defined as the characteristic sets of behaviours, cognitions, and
emotional patterns that evolve from biological and environmental factors. While
there is no generally agreed upon definition of personality, most theories focus
on motivation and psychological interactions with one's environment. 
2. STUCTURE OF PERSONALITY:

Personality development

According to Freud, our personality develops from a conflict between

two forces: our biological aggressive and pleasure-seeking drives versus
our internal (socialized) control over these drives. Our personality is the
result of our efforts to balance these two competing forces. Freud
 suggested that we can understand this by imagining three interacting
systems within our minds. He called them the id, ego, and superego.

4. BASIC CONCEPTS OF DEFENSE MECHANISM:

Intrapsychic conflict Reliance on Defense

(between id, ego and Anxiety mechanism.
Superego).
ID :

• The id is that part of the mind in which are situated the instinctual sexual
drives which require satisfaction.

• Nervous system translates the organism's needs into motivational forces called
instincts or drives (Freud called them wishes)

• Translation from need to wish is called the primary process.

• pleasure principle: a demand to take care of needs immediately.

• An example of this is an infant screaming for something. It does not know

what it wants, it just knows it wants it now.

• The id is developed at birth.

• seeks instant gratification, causes impulsive unthinking behaviour and has no
regard for rules or social conversion.

• Irrational and not based on reality.

• It is a selfish, childish, pleasure-oriented part of the personality with no ability

to delay gratification.

SUPER EGO:

 The superego contains internalised societal and parental standards of

"good" and "bad", "right" and "wrong" behaviour.

 They include conscious appreciations of rules and regulations as well as

those incorporated unconsciously.

 Super ego, the conscience, prohibitions learned from parents &

authorities.

 The super-ego is that part which contains the 'conscience', socially-

acquired control mechanisms (usually imparted in the first instance by the
parents) which have been internalized.

 Two aspects to the superego: the conscience, which is an internalization

of punishments and warnings; The other is called the ego ideal.

 Ego ideal derives from rewards and positive models presented to the
child.

EGO:

• Id is bridled & managed by ego. Ego delays satisfying id’s motives

& channels behaviour in socially acceptable way.

• It searches for objects to satisfy the wishes that id creates to represent

the organism needs.

• This is called the secondary process.

• Functions according to the reality principle: take care of a need as

soon as an appropriate object is found.
 • Developed at around the age of one year

• It keeps track of the rewards and punishments handed out by mom

and dad

• The ego acts as a moderator between the pleasure sought by the id

and the morals of the superego, seeking compromises to pacify
both.

• It can be viewed as the individual's "sense of time and place".

EXAMPLE

• Suppose you lost your mother. Although it is an irreversible fact, you keep
denying the reality so that you can protect yourself from severe sorrow and self-
criticism.

• If you don't employ denial or any other defence measures, you might
continue falling into deep depression and not be able to come to the reality at
all, or worse, you could just die.

5. DEFINITION OF DEFENCE MECHANISM

Defence mechanism, is an unconscious psychological mechanism that
reduces anxiety arising from unacceptable or potentially harmful stimuli.
Defence mechanisms may result in healthy or unhealthy consequences
depending on the circumstances and frequency with which the mechanism is
used.

- Sigmund Freud 
6. FREUD THREE TYPES OF ANXIETY:
1. Reality Anxiety

Reality anxiety is fear of real-world events. The cause of this anxiety is

usually easily identified. For example, a person might fear receiving a dog bite
when they are near a menacing dog. The most common way of reducing
this anxiety is to avoid the threatening object.

 Most basic form: reality e.g., dog bites, impending accidents.

  Reduce tension by immediate behavioural action.

2. Neurotic Anxiety

The unconscious worry that we will lose control of the id's urges, resulting in
punishment for inappropriate behaviour.

 anxiety arising from irresolvable conflicts.

 id desires clash with internalized prohibitions or can arise from
unconscious
 fear that (id) impulses will take control at an inopportune time
– can be driven by fear of punishment or threats to self-esteem.
3. Moral Anxiety

Moral anxiety is based on a feeling that one's internalized values are about to
be compromised. There is a fear of self-punishment (e.g., guilt) for acting
contrary to one's values. Moral anxiety is a function of the development of the
superego. Whatever the anxiety, the ego seeks to reduce it.

 Results from fear of violating moral or societal codes

 Appears as guilt or shame (irrational responsibility)

7. PURPOSE OF DEFENCE MECHANISM:

S – Self Security Production
A – ANXIETY (OR) Fear Reduction
M – Mental Conflict Resolution
E – Extreme Self Production

8. GEORGE VALLIANT’S CLASSIFICATION:

• Narcissistic Defences:
Most primitive. In children and adults who are psychotically disturbed.

• Immature Defences:
adolescents and some non-neurotic patients.

• Neurotic Defences:
in OCD and hysterical patients and in adults under stress.

• Mature defences
1.NARCISSITIC:
When predominant, the mechanisms on this level are almost always
severely pathological. These six defences, in conjunction, permit one effectively
to rearrange external experiences to eliminate the need to cope with reality.
Pathological users of these mechanisms frequently appear irrational or insane to
others. These are the "pathological" defences, common in overt psychosis.
However, they are normally found in dreams and throughout childhood as
well. They include:
1.1 Denial
Refusal to accept external reality because it is too threatening; arguing against
an anxiety-provoking stimulus by stating it doesn't exist; resolution of
emotional conflict and reduction of anxiety by refusing to perceive or
consciously acknowledge the more unpleasant aspects of external reality.

1.2 Projection
The blatant denial of a moral or psychological deficiency, which is perceived
as a deficiency in another individual or group.
1.3 Splitting
A primitive Defense. Negative and positive impulses are split off and
unintegrated.
Fundamental example: An individual views other people as either innately
good or innately evil, rather than a whole continuous being.
2.IMMATURE:
These mechanisms are often present in adults. These mechanisms lessen
distress and anxiety produced by threatening people or by an uncomfortable
reality. Excessive use of such defences is seen as socially undesirable, in that
they are immature, difficult to deal with and seriously out of touch with
reality. These are the so-called "immature" defences and overuse almost
always leads to serious problems in a person's ability to cope effectively.
These defences are often seen in major depression and personality disorders.
They include

2.1 Blocking
It occurs when you refuse to accept reality or facts. You block external events
or circumstances from your mind so that you don't have to deal with the
emotional impact. In other words, you avoid the painful feelings or events.
2.2 Regression
Temporary reversion of the ego to an earlier stage of development rather than
handling unacceptable impulses in a more adult way.

fdx
2.3 Somatization
The transformation of negative feelings towards others into negative feelings
toward self, pain, illness, and anxiety.
2.4 Identification
The object of projection invokes in that person precisely the thoughts, feelings
or behaviours projected.

3. ANXIETY:
These mechanisms are considered neurotic, but fairly common in adults. Such
defences have short-term advantages in coping, but can often cause long-term
problems in relationships, work and in enjoying life when used as one's primary
style of coping with the world They include:
3.1 Displacement
Shifts sexual or aggressive impulses to a more acceptable or less threatening
target. Redirecting emotion to a safer outlet. Separation of emotion from its real
object and redirection of the intense emotion toward someone or something that
is less offensive or threatening in order to avoid dealing directly with what is
frightening or threatening.
 For example, a mother may yell at her child because she is angry with her
husband.
3.2 Repression
The process of attempting to repel desires towards pleasurable instincts,
caused by a threat of suffering if the desire is satisfied; the desire is moved to
the unconscious in the attempt to prevent it from entering consciousness
seemingly unexplainable naivety, memory lapse or lack of awareness of one's
own situation and condition; the emotion is conscious, but the idea behind it is
absent. [citation needed]
3.3 Isolation of affect
Separation of feelings from ideas and events,
for example, describing a murder with graphic details with no emotional
response.

3.4 Acting out

Direct expression of an unconscious wish or impulse in action, without
conscious awareness of the emotion that drives that expressive behaviour.
3.5 Rationalization (making excuses):
Where a person convinces him or herself that no wrong was done and that all
is or was all right through faulty and false reasoning. An indicator of this
defense mechanism can be seen socially as the formulation of convenient
excuses - making excuses.

3.6 Reaction formation

Converting unconscious wishes or impulses that are perceived to be
dangerous into their opposites; behaviour that is completely the opposite of
what one really wants or feels; taking the opposite belief because the true belief
causes anxiety. This defense can work effectively for coping in the short term,
but will eventually break down.
3.7 Ondoing
A person tries to 'undo' an unhealthy, destructive or otherwise threatening
thought by engaging in contrary behaviour.

3.8 Passive aggressive

Aggression towards others expressed indirectly or passively such as using
procrastination.
3.9 Dissociation
Temporary drastic modification of one's personal identity or character to avoid
emotional distress; separation or postponement of a feeling that normally would
accompany a situation or thought.
4. MATURE:
These are commonly found among emotionally healthy adults and are
considered mature, even though many have their origins in an immature stage of
development. They are conscious processes, adapted through the years in order
to optimise success in human society and relationships. The use of these
defences enhances pleasure and feelings of control. These defences help to
integrate conflicting emotions and thoughts, whilst still remaining effective.
Those who use these mechanisms are usually considered virtuous Mature
defences include:

4.1 Humour
Overt expression of ideas and feelings (especially those that are unpleasant to
focus on or too terrible to talk about) that gives pleasure to others. The thoughts
retain a portion of their innate distress, but they are "skirted round" by
witticism.

4.2 Sublimation
Transformation of negative emotions or instincts into positive actions,
behaviour, or emotion.
4.3 Suppression
The conscious process of pushing thoughts into the preconscious; the
conscious decision to delay paying attention to an emotion or need in order to
cope with the present reality; making it possible to later access uncomfortable or
distressing emotions while accepting them.
9. WHY DID DEFENSE MECHANISM EVOLVE ?
Like all living systems, human beings have evolved multiple strategies
for defending against threats to our survival and physical integrity. The
immune system is one example, the fight or flight mechanism embedded in our
nervous system another. Similar defense mechanism have likely to protect and
promote the intergrity of our psychological integrity of our psychological
architecture- our sense of self, identity, and esteem.

10. DEFENSE MECHANISM IN EVERYDAY LIFE:

Life is full of unexpected or challenging situations, and defense
mechanism can potentially alleviate that discomfort. They can manifest, for
example, in passive aggressive behaviour when two friends cannot confront
conflict or when an employee displaces anger toward her boss onto her
daughter that night at dinner. Defense mechanism can reflect isolated
incidents, both beneficial and maladaptive, or a consistent pattern of behaviour
that can be explored with the help of a therapist.

11. WHY DO INDIVIDUALS DEVELOP DEFENSE MECHANISM?

Defense mechanism might emerge more severely and consistently in
some people due to insecurities in childhood, some psychologists believe.
Childern may not know how to grapple with or overcome certain challenges,
which leads them to question themselves and enact defenses against those
challenges. Adults have the ability to address those challenges, but obsolete
defense mechanisms might occasionally reappear to alleviate the stress.
12. NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF DEFENSE MECHANISM:
Repeated use of defense mechanism may hinder a person’s ability to
deal with their own feelings and emotions.
Remove Defense mechanism by:
 Reading about them.
 Writing about your feelings and actions.
 Talking to a close friend or therapists.
 Meditating.
 Praying.
13. TREATEMENT FOR DEFENSE MECHANISM:
1. Talk therapy
2. Stress management
3. Meditacation.
Talk therapy:
Talk therapy which is also known as psychotherapy, is a what mental
health professionals use to communicate with their patients. The purpose of
talk therapy is to help people identify issues that cause emotional distress.
Once the issues are identified, a therapist will help you understand how
these stressors are affecting your life and work to develop strategies and
solutions to help decrease the severity of the symptoms.
In a general, a talk therapy session lasts about an hour, often 50 minutes.
How often you go to therapy and how long you continue it depends on the
severity of symptoms and the treatment plan your therapists develops.
Initially you may expect to attend therapy once a week. While this may
seem like a major commitment, attending weekly sessions gives you the
chance to develop a relationship with your therapist and adjust to the process.
The frequency of sessions may change to bimonthly as you develop coping
strategies and begin showing signs of improvement.
Stress management:

Stress management is a wide spectrum of techniques and

pyschotherapies aimed at controlling a persons level of stress, especially
chronic stress, usually for the purpose of and for the motive of improving
everyday functioning. Stress produce numerous physical and mental symptoms
which vary according to each individuals situational factors. These can include
a decline in physical health as well as depression. Life often delivers numerous
demands that can be difficult to handle, but stress management provides a
number of ways to manage anxiety and maintain overall well being.
Some helpful techniques include:
 Regular exercise or physical activity.
 Yoga
 Meditation
 Relaxation therapy.

Medication:
A person may require medication for an underlying mental health
condition. Depending on the condition these treatments may include:
 Antidepressants
 Anti-anxiety medications
 Antipsychotics.
14. DEFENCE MECHANISM AND THE NURSE:
Nursing roles:

The nurse must address defense mechanisms within a caring and supportive
relationship.

Address repression by being supportive and protective of the client's

defenses. When appropriate, help the client examine the traumatic event or
situation objectively.

For clients manifesting dissociation, provide a safe, supportive, secure

environment for clients to recall and resolve past conflicts.

Interventions for identification and introjection include clarifying roles and

expectations of the nurse and client, and helping the client formulate a self-
care plan and increase self-awareness

Keep environmental stresses low when anxiety is high

 Pleasant, attractive uncluttered environment

 Provide privacy of presence of other patients is stimulating

 Provide physical care when, necessary

 Avoid offering several alternatives or decisions when anxiety is high

 Intervene if anxiety is severe or panic

 Provide brief orientation to unit or procedures • Provide written

information to read when anxiety is lower
Maintain accepting and helpful attitude towards client:

 Use an unhurried approach

 Acknowledge client's distress and concerns about problem
 Encourage clarifications of feelings and thoughts
 Evaluate and manage own anxiety when working with the client
 Recognize the value of defense mechanisms and realize that client is
attempting to make the anxiety tolerable in the best possible way
 Acknowledge defense but provide reality
 Do not attempt to remove a defense mechanism at any time

15. Potential nursing diagnosis:

 Social interaction impaired

 Anxiety
 Ineffective individual coping
 Self-esteem disturbance

Implementation:

Therapeutic communication

Listening to and understanding client while promoting clarification

and insight

Milieu therapy

 Providing a therapeutic environment will help increase patients

awareness of feelings, increase sense of responsibility and help him to
return to community
 Client plans social and group interactions

Group therapy
• Relationship is recreated among group members
• Members meet regularly with a leader to form a stable group
• Members learn new ways to cope with stress and develop insight into their
behaviours with others

16. THEORY APPLICATION:

Betty Neuman (1924 – present) is a nursing theorist who developed

the Neuman Systems Model. She gave many years perfecting a systems model
that views at patients holistically. She inquired theories from several theorists
and philosophers and applied her knowledge in clinical and teaching expertise
to come up with the Neuman Systems Model that has been accepted, adopted,
and applied as a core for nursing curriculum in many areas around the world.

What is the Neuman Systems Model?

Betty Neuman describes the Neuman Systems Model as “a unique, open-

system-based perspective that provides a unifying focus for approaching a wide
range of concerns. A system acts as a boundary for a single client, a group, or
even a number of groups; it can also be defined as a social issue. A client
system in interaction with the environment delineates the domain of nursing
concerns.”

Nursing interventions occur through three prevention modalities. Primary

prevention occurs before the stressor invades the system; secondary
prevention occurs after the system has reacted to an invading stressor; tertiary
prevention occurs after secondary prevention as reconstitution is being
established.
Assumptions

The following are the assumptions or “accepted truths” made by Neuman’s

Systems Model:

 Each client system is unique, a composite of factors and characteristics

within a given range of responses.
 Many known, unknown, and universal stressors exist. Each differs in
its potential for disturbing a client’s usual stability level or normal line
of defense. The particular interrelationships of client variables at any
point in time can affect the degree to which a client is protected by the
flexible line of defense against possible reaction to stressors.
 Each client/client system has evolved a normal range of responses to
the environment that is referred to as a normal line of defense. The
normal line of defense can be used as a standard from which to
measure health deviation.
  When the flexible line of defense is no longer capable of protecting the
client/client system against an environmental stressor, the stressor
breaks through the normal line of defense.
 The client, whether in a state of wellness or illness, is a dynamic
composite of the interrelationships of the variables. Wellness is on a
continuum of available energy to support the system in an optimal
state of system stability.
 Implicit within each client system are internal resistance factors known
as lines of resistance, which function to stabilize and realign the client
to the usual wellness state.
 Primary prevention relates to general knowledge that is applied in
client assessment and intervention, in identification and reduction or
mitigation of possible or actual risk factors associated with
environmental stressors to prevent possible reaction.
 Secondary prevention relates to symptomatology following a reaction
to stressors, appropriate ranking of intervention priorities, and
treatment to reduce their noxious effects.
 Tertiary prevention relates to the adjustive processes taking place as
reconstitution begins and maintenance factors move the client back in
a circular manner toward primary prevention.
 The client as a system is in dynamic, constant energy exchange with
the environment. (Neuman, 1995)

Major Concepts of Neuman Systems Model

In this section, we will define the nursing metaparadigm and the major
concepts in Betty Neuman’s Neuman Systems Model.

Human being
Human being is viewed as an open system that interacts with both internal and
external environment forces or stressors. The human is in constant change,
moving toward a dynamic state of system stability or toward illness of varying
degrees.

Environment
The environment is a vital arena that is germane to the system and its
function. The environment may be viewed as all factors that affect and are
affected by the system. In Neuman Systems Model identifies three relevant
environments: (1) internal, (2) external, and (3) created.

 The internal environment exists within the client system. All forces

and interactive influences that are solely within boundaries of the
client system make up this environment.
 The external environment exists outside the client system.
 The created environment is unconsciously developed and is used by
the client to support protective coping.

Health
In Neuman’s nursing theory, Health is defined as the condition or degree of
system stability and is viewed as a continuum from wellness to illness. When
system needs are met, optimal wellness exists. When needs are not satisfied,
illness exists. When the energy needed to support life is not available, death
occurs.

Nursing
The primary concern of nursing is to define the appropriate action in
situations that are stress-related or in relation to possible reactions of the client
or client system to stressors. Nursing interventions are aimed at helping the
system adapt or adjust and to retain, restore, or maintain some degree of
stability between and among the client system variables and environmental
stressors with a focus on conserving energy.

Sub concepts of Neuman Systems Model

Stressors
A stressor is any phenomenon that might penetrate both the flexible and normal
lines of defense, resulting in either a positive or negative outcome.

 Intrapersonal stressors are those that occur within the client system

boundary and correlate with the internal environment.
 Interpersonal stressors occur outside the client system boundary, are
proximal to the system, and have an impact on the system.
  Extrapersonal stressors also occur outside the client system
boundaries but are at a greater distance from the system that are
interpersonal stressors. An example is social policy.

Reconstitution
The return and maintenance of system stability, following treatment of stressor
reaction, which may result in a higher or lower level of wellness.

Prevention as Intervention

 Primary prevention occurs before the system reacts to a stressor; it

includes health promotion and maintenance of wellness. Primary
prevention focuses on strengthening the flexible line of defense
through preventing stress and reducing risk factors. This intervention
occurs when the risk or hazard is identified but before a reaction
occurs. Strategies that might be used include immunization, health
education, exercise, and lifestyle changes.
 Secondary prevention occurs after the system reacts to a stressor and
is provided in terms of existing symptoms. Secondary prevention
focuses on strengthening the internal lines of resistance and, thus,
protects the basic structure through appropriate treatment of
symptoms. The intent is to regain optimal system stability and to
conserve energy in doing so. If secondary prevention is unsuccessful
and reconstitution does not occur, the basic structure will be unable to
support the system and its interventions, and death will occur.
 Tertiary prevention occurs after the system has been treated through
secondary prevention strategies. Its purpose is to maintain wellness or
protect the client system reconstitution through supporting existing
strengths and continuing to preserve energy. Tertiary prevention may
begin at any point after system stability has begun to be reestablished
(reconstitution has begun). Tertiary prevention tends to lead back to
primary prevention. (Neuman, 1995)
17. JOURNAL ABSTRACT:

Study of Defensive Methods and Mechanisms in Developmental,

Emotional (Internalization), and Disruptive Behavior (Externalization)
Disorders

ABSTRACT:
We need to find a way for adaptation with inherent unpleasantness of being
human condition and conflicts that it caused, as we did not fail. Methods that we
used for adaptation are named defence. This research has performed with the
aim of study and compare defensive mechanisms and methods of
Developmental, Emotional (Internalization), and Disruptive behaviour
(Externalization) disorders. 
METHOD:
Method, sample of this research included 390 family that are by available
sampling method are selected. Tools of research were structured clinical
interview of forth cognitive and statistical guide of psychopathic disorders for
axis I and the way used for assess defensive mechanisms is defensive method
40 question’s questionnaires of Andrews (1993). The data are compared by
statistical methods comparison of averages and one way variance analysis and
HSD tests and results show that undeveloped defensive mechanisms in by
developmental disorder family(25.2± 3.7) mean and standard deviation, it is
most used mechanism and in disruptive behavior disorder family by (11.2 ±1.9)
mean and standard deviation is used least mechanism and in developed
mechanism of emotional disorder family by (7.8 ± 3.1) mean and standard
deviation is most used mechanism and in developmental disorder family by (4.3
±1.5) mean and standard deviation is least mechanism in neuroticism patient,
social phobia affected emotional disorder family (15.6±2.6) and disruptive
behavior disorder family have least mean and standard deviation(9.2±1.7) (p<
0.005). Recent research shows significant of study defensive mechanism in
psychopathic family of disorder children that affecting on the way of life of
persons and interpersonal and intrapersonal relations and method of solving
problem in family of them in life, so defensive mechanisms require more
attention.
Keywords: defensive methods, defensive mechanisms, developmental,
emotional, internalization, disruptive behavior, externalization
RESULT:
Undeveloped defensive mechanisms in parent affected by Family of
developmental disorder are the most used mechanism and in parent affected by
Disruptive behavior (Externalization) disorders by average (19/04) is the least
mechanism than other disease.

18. SUMMARY:
Till now we are discussed, Defences mechanism, Introduction, definition of
personality, structure of personality, history of defense mechanism, meaning
of defence mechanism, definition of defence mechanism, purpose of defence
mechanism, George Valliant’s classification of defence mechanism, nurses’
role, theory application, journal abstract, summary, conclusion, bibliography.

19. CONCLUSION:
Defence mechanism helps to reduce the anxiety and help an individual to
adjust better. But too much of overthink is bad. Same is true with defence
mechanism. Children should be guarded against too much use of defence
mechanism.

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20. JOURNAL REFERENCE:

1. Afzali M, Fathi-Ashtiani A, Azad Fallah P. Comparison of defense styles

& defense mechanisms of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder &
normal people. Journal of Behavioral Sciences. 2008;2(3):245–
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NET REFERENCE:
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 WWW.googlebooks.com
 WWW.gobooke.com
S.N INDEX
O
1. INTRODUCTION

2. A HISTORY OF DEFENCE MECHANISM

3. DEFINITION OF PERSONALITY

4. STRUCTURE OF PERSONALITY

5. MEANING OF DEFENCE MECHANISM

6. DEFINITION OF DEFENCE MECHANISM

7. PURPOSE OF DEFENCE MECHANISM

8. GEORGE VALLIANTS CLASSIFICATION

9. DEFENCE MECHANISM AND THE NURSE

10. THEORY APPLICATION

11. JOURNAL ABSTRACT

12. SUMMARY

13. CONCLUSION

14. BIBLIOGRAPHY
 KASTURBA GANDHI NURSING
COLLEGE
SRI BALAJI VIDYAPEETH, SBV CAMPUS
Pilliyarkuppam, Puducherry-607 402

ADVANCED NURSING PRACTICE

SEMINAR ON
DEFENCE MECHANISM

SUBMITTED TO: SUBMITTED BY:

MRS. POONGODI.V G. MUTHAMIZHPRIYA
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR 1ST YEAR
DEPT OF OBG NURSING M.SC NURSING
KGNC KGNC
SUBMITTED ON: