Defense Mechanisms

Psychological defense mechanisms are often used by an individual to cope with reality and maintain self-image. These often occur outside our awareness as part of the automatic responses that make up our mental, emotional and behavioral habits.
Below is a list of the defense mechanisms most often identified with each Enneagram personality type. Following each defense mechanism is my attempt to describe its relevant meaning to the type.
- Reaction Formation
where unacceptable urges or emotions are replaced with opposite behaviors. - Repression
where personal desires and needs are excluded from consciousness. - Identification
where the self-image models the expectations of others. - Introjection
where a sense of rejection by the world is internalized as a negative self-image. - Isolation
where emotion is detached from a situation in favor of intellectual content. - Projection
where unacknowledged self motives, feelings and thoughts are attributed to others. - Rationalization
where unacknowledged self-indulgence is justified through good reasoning. - Denial
where emotions or sensations of vulnerability are not acknowledged. - Narcotization
where conflict and discomfort are avoided through self-comforting activities and routines.





















































































