Defense Mechanisms

“Hi. I’m John, and I’m an addict.”

While this might be a cliché attributed to a well

-

known addiction program, it is true that

the first step in treating an addiction is admitting there is a problem. This might seem

easy for most, but it is a major acknowledgment for an addict. Addictions se

rve a

purpose in someone’s life, and working to change the addiction means letting go of that

purpose. People often hold on to addictions by means of defense mechanisms.

Defense mechanisms are a long

-

standing part of psychology stemming back to the

early w

ork of Sigmund Freud. Although many aspects of Freud’s early theories are not a

part of modern clinical practice, defense mechanisms are a part of the current

vernacular, including addiction treatment. Therefore, understanding defense

mechanisms is an impo

rtant step in providing effective treatment.

Project

2

-

to 4

-

page paper that includes the following:

·

A brief description of two defense mechanisms from the Learning Resources

·

An explanation of how each defense

mechanism you chose might impact behavior

·

A description of how each defense mechanism might affect treatment processes, and

an explanation of why

·

A description of which stage of change in treatment processes each defense

mechanism might manifest in behavio

r

o

An explanation of why

o

Provide one or two strategies for mitigating them

“Hi. I’m John, and I’m an addict.”

While this might be a cliché attributed to a well-known addiction program, it is true that

the first step in treating an addiction is admitting there is a problem. This might seem

easy for most, but it is a major acknowledgment for an addict. Addictions serve a

purpose in someone’s life, and working to change the addiction means letting go of that

purpose. People often hold on to addictions by means of defense mechanisms.

Defense mechanisms are a long-standing part of psychology stemming back to the

early work of Sigmund Freud. Although many aspects of Freud’s early theories are not a

part of modern clinical practice, defense mechanisms are a part of the current

vernacular, including addiction treatment. Therefore, understanding defense

mechanisms is an important step in providing effective treatment.

Project

2- to 4-page paper that includes the following:

 A brief description of two defense mechanisms from the Learning Resources

 An explanation of how each defense mechanism you chose might impact behavior

 A description of how each defense mechanism might affect treatment processes, and

an explanation of why

 A description of which stage of change in treatment processes each defense

mechanism might manifest in behavior

o An explanation of why

o Provide one or two strategies for mitigating them