Defense mechanisms in the anaclitic and introjective personality configuration.

Abstract

Stories told in response to the Thematic Apperception Test were used to assess denial, projection, and identification in 90 hospitalized patients who had been clinically determined to have an anaclitic or introjective personality configuration. Within the anaclitic group, the level of defense use was meaningfully related to ratings of clinical symptoms and interpersonal behavior. For both groups, the level of defense use was related to Rorschach measures of object relations. The results supported the assumption that denial, projection, and identification represent different levels on a developmental continuum of defenses.

Personality Factors and Depressive Configurations. An Exploratory Study in an Italian Clinical Sample

“…This finding seems to be consistent with research that confirms the tendency of women to develop a particular sensitivity regarding issues related to interpersonal concerns (Blatt and Shichman, 1983; Cramer et al, 1988; Blatt and Homann, 1992; Blatt, 2004). Contrary to findings in literature (Silverstein et al, 2013), women don't appear to show a prevalence of somatic depressive symptoms compared to men, and men don't appear to show a higher presence of cognitive depressive symptoms compared to women.…”

Threat to Gender Representation: Identity and Identification

“…This measure of defense mechanisms has been demonstrated in previous studies to have adequate interrater reliability and internal consistency, with children, adolescents, adults, and psychiatric patients (Cramer, 1987(Cramer, , 1991a(Cramer, , 1991b(Cramer, , 1997a(Cramer, , 1997bCramer, Blatt, & Ford, 1988;Cramer & Block, 1998;Cramer & Gaul, 1988;Hibbard et al, 1994). The median interrater Pearson rs for these reliability studies, based on stories from 17 different subject samples, were Denial, r = .81, Projection, r = .80, and Identification, r = .64.…”

“…The validity of the coding approach has been demonstrated through observational studies of children, adolescents, adults, and psychiatric patients, in which defense mechanism scores differentiated between age groups, or were related to psychiatric psychopathology in ways predicted by theory (Cramer, 1987(Cramer, , 1995(Cramer, , 1997bCramer & Blatt, 1990;Cramer, Blatt, & Ford, 1988;Cramer & Block, 1998;Dollinger & Cramer, 1990;Hibbard et al, 1994). The validity of the defense coding approach has also been demonstrated experimentally.…”

Personality, Personality Disorders, and Defense Mechanisms

“…Categories (1) and (2) are considered to be Immature levels of the defense; Categories (3) through (7) are considered to be Mature levels of Identification. This measure of defense mechanisms has been demonstrated in previous studies to have adequate inter-rater reliability, with children, adolescents, adults, and psychiatric patients (Cramer, 1987(Cramer, , 1991a(Cramer, , 1991b(Cramer, , 1995(Cramer, , 1997a(Cramer, , 1997b(Cramer, , 1998a(Cramer, , 1998bCramer, Blatt, & Ford, 1988;Cramer & Block, 1998; 1. Appreciation is expressed to Jennifer Whitfield for her assistance in the scoring process.…”