Mechanism motto: I’m going to stay as far away from that stressful thing as possible.The problem with avoidance: Things don’t go away just because you ignore them. That assignment will still need to get done. That conflict with that co-worker will need to be resolved eventually.

Avoidance

<ul><li>Regression: Reverting to childlike behaviors.</li><li>Compartmentalization: Segregating different thoughts or portions of your life (i.e. shutting out any personal problems while you’re at work).</li><li>Projection: Assigning your own thoughts and emotions to others.</li><li>Undoing: Attempting to backpedal a negative behavior with a lot of positives.</li></ul>

Other defense mechanisms

Mechanism motto: That wasn’t my fault because...The problem with rationalization: It involved the blame game. Taking an honest look at your own faults and acknowledging how you’ve contributed to your downfall is never easy.

Rationalization

Mechanism motto: I need to find an unsuspecting target for my negative emotions.The problem with displacement: You’ll channel all of your frustration and negative emotions into the totally wrong target. Anyone who crosses your path is going to wish they hadn’t.

Displacement

Mechanism motto: There’s no way that’s going to happen.The problem with denial: Denial is more than just avoiding a potentially threatening thought or circumstance—it involves vehemently denying the fact that it even exists. It blinds you with unrealistic optimism.

Denial

Our defense mechanisms really kick into high gear during situations where we feel threatened. That doesn’t necessarily mean physically threatened, but also in high-stress environments where we doubt our abilities and suddenly become hyper-aware of our own shortcomings. They are normal, but shouldn't be used to the extreme.

Defense Mechanisms

Allow me to kick things off with a (perhaps embarrassing?) confession: The very thought of writing this piece seemed really intimidating to me. I was concerned about creating something that was thorough and accurate, yet still made sense and was easy to read.

Denial

Similar ideas to Denial

Chaining

Types of people