The Concept of Defense Mechanisms in Contemporary Psychology : Theoretical, Research, and Clinical Perspectives

What is the scientific status and the "truth value" of the concept of defense mechanisms? Among contemporary psychologists, three types of answers to this question may be expected. Some would wholeheartedly endorse the theoretical, clinical, and research value of this notion; others would reject it outright. Between these two extremes, a large number of observers, perhaps the majority, would suspend their judgment. Their attitude, compounded of hope and doubt, would capitalize on defense as an interesting and promising concept. At the same time, these psy­ chologists would express skepticism and disappointment over its clinical limitations, theoretical ambiguity, and research failures. The present volume is primarily addressed to the audience of hopeful skeptics-those who have not given up on the notion of defense, yet have been frustrated by the difficulties of incorporating it into the modern, streamlined structure of psychology. To this end, we have brought together theoretical and empirical contributions germane to defense together with reports about their applications to clinical and personality assessment, especially in relation to psychopathology, psychosomatics, and psycho­ therapeutic intervention. Front Matter....Pages i-xxvii Front Matter....Pages 1-1 A Critical Perspective on Defense Mechanisms....Pages 3-13 Defense Mechanisms in the Clinic and in the Laboratory: An Attempt at Bridging the Gap....Pages 14-24 What Is a Mechanism of Defense?....Pages 25-37 Percept-Genesis and the Study of Defensive Processes....Pages 38-49 Front Matter....Pages 51-51 The Measurement of Defense Mechanisms by Self-Report Questionnaires....Pages 53-86 The Assessment of Primitive Defense Mechanisms by Projective Techniques....Pages 87-100 Percept-Genetic Methodology....Pages 101-121 The Study of Defenses in Psychotherapy Using the Defense Mechanism Rating Scales (DMRS)....Pages 122-132 Front Matter....Pages 133-133 Causal Attributions of Disease as Related to Dynamic Personality Variables....Pages 135-145 Exploration of the Relationship Between Anxiety and Defense: Semantic Differential Ratings of Defense Mechanism Test Stimuli....Pages 146-151 The Cognitive Determinants of Defense Mechanisms....Pages 152-183 Development of the Repression-Sensitization Construct: With Special Reference to the Discrepancy Between Subjective and Physiological Stress Reactions....Pages 184-204 Augmenting/Reducing: A Link Between Perceptual and Emotional Aspects of Psychophysiological Individuality....Pages 205-208 A Psychodynamic Activation Study of Female Oedipal Fantasies Using Subliminal and Percept-Genetic Techniques....Pages 209-224 Aspects of the Construct Validity of the Defense Mechanism Test....Pages 225-233 Adaptation to Boredom and Stress: The Effects of Defense Mechanisms and Concept Formation on Attentional Performance in Situations with Inadequate Stimulation....Pages 234-249 Front Matter....Pages 251-251 The Structure and Process of Defense in Diagnosis of Personality and in Psychoanalytic Treatment....Pages 253-274 The Measurement of Ego Defenses in Clinical Research....Pages 275-289 Validation of the German Version of Bond’s Questionnaire of Defensive Styles....Pages 290-295 Regulative Styles and Defenses: Some Relationships Between the Serial Color-Word Test and the Defense Mechanism Test....Pages 296-309 Front Matter....Pages 251-251 Change in Defense Mechanisms Following Intensive Treatment, As Related to Personality Organization and Gender....Pages 310-320 Defense Mechanisms in Interaction with Intellectual Performance in Depressive Inpatients....Pages 321-338 Defense Mechanisms and Hope as Protective Factors in Physical and Mental Disorders....Pages 339-359 Defense Mechanisms in Patients with Bone Marrow Transplantation: A Retrospective Study....Pages 360-370 Front Matter....Pages 371-371 Attitudes Towards Illness and Health and Defense Mechanisms in Psychosomatic Patients....Pages 373-388 Anorexics and Bulimics Compared Vis-à-Vis Defense, Proximity, and Separation....Pages 389-403 Defense Styles in Eating Disorders....Pages 404-411 Defense Mechanisms and Defense Organizations: Their Role in the Adaptation to the Acute Stage of Crohn’s Disease....Pages 412-423 Back Matter....Pages 425-439 The editors have brought together theoretical and empirical contributions on the topic of defense together with studies on the applications of these constructs to clinical and personality assessment, especially with regard to psychopathology, psychosomatics, and psychotherapeutic intervention. This systematic and up-to-date overview highlights the advantages and potentials of currently available approaches to empirical research on defense mechanisms. The text is divided into five practical sections, each containing pertinent chapters written by international authorities in the field: General Issues; Methodological Considerations; Personality and Applied Psychology; Clinical Assessment and Psychotherapeutic Interventions; and Psychosomatics. This book serves as an invitation to develop new avenues of experimental and psychodynamic investigation in this rapidly growing field as well as to refine and extend the existing approaches.