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Defense mechanisms originated from Freudian psychoanalytic theory, and are hypothesized psychological strategies brought into play by the unconscious mind to protect the mind/self/ego from unpleasant experiences and social sanctions, and to provide a refuge from a situation with which one cannot currently cope.

George Vaillant is one of many people who have built upon the notion of psychological defense mechanisms, and in in 1977 he divided defense mechanisms into four main categories:

Level 1: Pathological: “psychotic” defenses permit one to effectively rearrange external experiences and eliminate the need to cope with reality. They are: delusion projection, conversion, denial, splitting and distortion.

Level 2: Immature: “immature” defenses lessen distress and anxiety provoked by threatening people or by an uncomfortable reality. They include: acting out, fantasy, idealization, passive aggression, projection and somatization.

Level 3: Neurotic: Such defenses 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 are: displacement, hypocondriasis, dissociation, isolation, intellectualization, rationalization (making excuses), regression, repression and withdrawal.

Level 4: Mature: The use of these defenses enhances pleasure and feelings of control, helping us to integrate conflicting emotions and thoughts, while still remaining effective. They include: altruism, anticipation, humor, identification, introjections, sublimation and thought suppression.