The Defense Mechanism Manual

Abstract

In this chapter, a new approach to the assessment of defense mechanisms is described. The choice of this approach was based on several considerations. A defense mechanism is a thought process that may take different forms and be expressed through a variety of content. For these reasons, the assessment method should allow for thought processes to be revealed in an unhampered and undirected fashion, in an open-ended format where no stereotyped response is readily available. Although these thought processes may not be observed directly, they can be inferred from verbal behavior. Because defense mechanisms are rather complex mental processes, they are more likely to be revealed in relatively extensive samples of verbal behavior than in single-word responses. Finally, some means must be available for two or more independent observers to decide whether or not a defense was used. The method that most closely approximates these various requirements is the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), for which a manual designed to score defenses was especially developed.¹ The manual may also be used with the Children’s Apperception Test (CAT).