Psychological Defense Mechanisms
Defense Mechanisms Psychology is a structured psychology dataset with 15 entries. Its fields include Mechanism, Type, Description. The source values are preserved as a structured reference table.
Every row is shown below and is also available as CSV, JSON, or Excel.
Dataset details
- Table scope
- All 15 rows
- Fields
- 6 columns
- Source
- Not provided
- Data updated
- Not provided
Included fields: Mechanism, Type, Description, Example, Healthy Or Unhealthy, and 1 more.
The table contains every record in this dataset; the same records are available in each download format.
Preview observations
- Type groups
- 3 distinct values
- Across 15 preview rows
- Healthy Or Unhealthy groups
- 4 distinct values
- Across 15 preview rows
Useful for
- Comparing Mechanism, Type, and Example across psychology entries
- Building reference tables, charts, or analyses from 15 downloadable records
Mechanism↕ | Type↕ | Example↕ | Healthy Or Unhealthy↕ | Known For↕ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Denial | Primitive | An alcoholic insisting they don't have a drinking problem | Unhealthy | The most basic and common defense mechanism |
Repression | Primitive | Having no memory of a childhood traumatic event | Unhealthy | Freud's foundational concept of the unconscious |
Projection | Primitive | A cheating spouse accusing their partner of infidelity | Unhealthy | Seeing your own flaws in other people |
Displacement | Neurotic | Yelling at your family after a bad day at work | Unhealthy | Kicking the dog phenomenon |
Rationalization | Neurotic | Saying 'I didn't want that job anyway' after being rejected | Unhealthy | Sour grapes from Aesop's fable |
Reaction Formation | Neurotic | Being excessively nice to someone you secretly dislike | Unhealthy | Overcompensation to hide true emotions |
Regression | Primitive | An adult throwing a tantrum when frustrated | Unhealthy | Reverting to childlike behavior under stress |
Sublimation | Mature | A person with aggressive impulses becoming a surgeon or boxer | Healthy | Freud considered it the most successful defense mechanism |
Intellectualization | Neurotic | Discussing the statistics of cancer rather than feeling fear about a diagnosis | Moderately unhealthy | Thinking about feelings instead of feeling them |
Humor | Mature | Making jokes about a difficult situation to reduce tension | Healthy | Recognized as a mature coping strategy |
Compensation | Neurotic | A person with poor social skills becoming exceptionally successful at work | Can be healthy | Alfred Adler's concept of overcoming inferiority |
Dissociation | Primitive | Feeling like you're watching yourself from outside your body during trauma | Unhealthy | Extreme form associated with dissociative disorders |
Undoing | Neurotic | Buying expensive gifts after saying something hurtful | Unhealthy | Ritualistic attempts to cancel out guilt |
Altruism | Mature | Volunteering at a hospital after losing a loved one to illness | Healthy | Constructive way of dealing with personal pain |
Splitting | Primitive | Idolizing a friend one day then completely devaluing them the next | Unhealthy | Central feature of borderline personality disorder |
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Frequently asked questions
How is Psychological Defense Mechanisms organized?
The table starts in the source data's default order. You can sort and filter the loaded rows by the displayed fields.
How much data is available on this page?
This dataset contains 15 entries, and every row is available in the table and in the downloadable files.
Can I download the complete dataset?
Yes. CSV, JSON, and Excel downloads contain all 15 rows. Before republishing the data, review the source and any usage terms listed on this page; dtbse does not replace the original source's licensing terms.
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