scholarly journals The Hierarchy of Defense Mechanisms: Assessing Defensive Functioning With the Defense Mechanisms Rating Scales Q-Sort

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariagrazia Di Giuseppe ◽  
J. Christopher Perry
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Functioning ◽  
Defense Mechanisms ◽  
Rating Scales ◽  
Full Range ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Research Fields ◽  
Defensive Functioning ◽  
And Function ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Q Sort

The psychodynamic concept of defense mechanisms is nowadays considered by professionals with various theoretical orientations of great importance in the understanding of human development and psychological functioning. More than half century of empirical research has demonstrated the impact of defensive functioning in psychological well-being, personality organization and treatment process-outcome. Despite the availability of a large number of measures for their evaluation, only a few instruments assess the whole hierarchy of defenses, based on the Defense Mechanisms Rating Scales (DMRS), which arguably offers an observer-rated gold standard of assessment. The present article illustrates the theoretical and methodological background of the DMRS-Q, the Q-sort version of the DMRS for clinical use. Starting from the definition and function of the 30 defense mechanisms included in the hierarchy, we extracted 150 items that captured a full range of defensive manifestations according to the DMRS theory. The DMRS-Q set is described in this paper with reference to the DMRS manual. Directions are also provided for using the DMRS-Q online software for the free and unlimited coding of defense mechanisms. After each coding, the DMRS-Q software provides a report including qualitative and quantitative scores reflecting the individual’s defensive functioning. Qualitative scores are displayed as the Defensive Profile Narratives (DPN), while quantitative scores are reported as Overall Defensive Functioning (ODF), defensive categories, defense levels, and individual defense mechanisms. Syntax for the scoring is displayed in the results and a clinical vignette of a psychotherapy session coded with the DMRS-Q is provided. The DMRS-Q is an easy-to-use, free, computerized measure that can help clinicians in monitoring changes in defense mechanisms, addressing therapeutic intervention, fostering symptoms decreasing and therapeutic alliance. Moreover, the DMRS-Q might be a valid tool for teaching the hierarchy of defense mechanisms and increase the observer-rated assessment of this construct in several research fields.

scholarly journals Stress, Burnout, and Resilience among Healthcare Workers during the COVID-19 Emergency: The Role of Defense Mechanisms

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (10) ◽  
pp. 5258
Author(s):  
Mariagrazia Di Giuseppe ◽  
Gianni Nepa ◽  
Tracy A. Prout ◽  
Fabrizio Albertini ◽  
Stefano Marcelli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Defense Mechanisms ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Personal Accomplishment ◽  
Traumatic Experience ◽  
Psychological Resources ◽  
Defensive Functioning ◽  
The Impact

The experience of working on the frontlines of the COVID-19 healthcare crisis has presented a cumulative traumatic experience that affects healthcare professionals’ well-being. Psychological resources such as resilience and adaptive defense mechanisms are essential in protecting individuals from severe stress and burnout. During September 2020, 233 healthcare workers responded to an online survey to test the impact of demographic variables, COVID-19 exposure, and psychological resources in determining stress and burnout during the COVID-19 emergency. Frontline workers reported higher scores for stress, emotional exhaustion, and depersonalization (p < 0.001) as compared to colleagues working in units not directly serving patients with COVID-19. Mature defensive functioning was associated with resilience and personal accomplishment (r = 0.320; p < 0.001), while neurotic and immature defenses were related to perceived stress and burnout. Stress and burnout were predicted by lower age, female gender, greater exposure to COVID-19, lower resilience, and immature defensive functioning among healthcare professionals (R2 = 463; p < 0.001). Working on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic appears to provoke greater stress and burnout. On the other hand, resilience and adaptive defense mechanisms predicted better adjustment. Future reaction plans should promote effective programs offering support for healthcare workers who provide direct care to patients with COVID-19.

scholarly journals Assessing children’s defense mechanisms with the Defense Mechanisms Rating Scales Q-sort for Children

2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariagrazia Di Giuseppe ◽  
Tracy A. Prout ◽  
Lauren Ammar ◽  
Thomas Kui ◽  
Ciro Conversano
Keyword(s):  
Defense Mechanisms ◽  
Rating Scales ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Child Psychotherapy ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Ample Evidence ◽  
Defensive Functioning ◽  
Mental Health Literature ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Q Sort

Defense mechanisms are unconscious and automatic psychological processes that serve to protect the individual from painful emotions and thoughts. There is ample evidence from the adult psychotherapy and mental health literature suggesting the salience of defenses in the maintenance and amelioration of psychological distress. Although several tools for the assessment of children’s defenses exist, most rely on projective and self-report tools, and none are based on the empirically derived hierarchy of defenses. This paper outlines the development of the defense mechanisms rating scale Q-sort for children (DMRS-Q-C), a 60-item, observer-rated tool for coding the use of defenses in child psychotherapy sessions. Modifications to the Defense Mechanisms Rating Scale Q-Sort for adults to create a developmentally relevant measure and the process by which expert child psychotherapists collaborated to develop the DMRS-Q-C are discussed. A clinical vignette describing the child’s defensive functioning as assessed by the innovative DMRS-Q-C method is also reported. Finally, we provide an overview of forthcoming research evaluating the validity of the DMRS-Q-C.

The impact of workplace bullying on hotel employees’ well-being

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 1702-1719 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fu-Sung Hsu ◽  
Yuan-an Liu ◽  
Sheng-Hshiung Tsaur
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Justice ◽  
Workplace Bullying ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Workplace Friendship ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Hotel Employees ◽  
Research Fields ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to investigate the moderating effects of organizational justice and workplace friendship on the relationship between workplace bullying and hotel employees’ well-being.Design/methodology/approachThe research sample included 310 entry-level employees of international tourism hotels in Taiwan. This study adopted hierarchical regression for data analysis.FindingsThe study found that workplace bullying negatively impacted on hotel employees’ well-being. Organizational justice and workplace friendship had significantly positive effects on hotel employees’ well-being. Compared with workplace friendship, organizational justice had a significant moderating effect on the relationship between workplace bullying and hotel employees’ well-being.Originality/valueIn the research fields of hospitality, past studies failed to use organizational justice and workplace friendship to moderate the relationship between workplace bullying and hotel employees’ well-being. This study confirmed that organizational justice could effectively buffer the negative effect of workplace bullying on hotel employees’ well-being.

scholarly journals Re-authoring life narratives of trauma survivors: Spiritual perspective

2015 ◽  
Vol 71 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Manda
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Political Violence ◽  
Psychological Functioning ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Trauma Survivors ◽  
Life Narratives ◽  
Psychosocial Effects ◽  
Holistic Model ◽  
Holistic Understanding ◽  
The Impact

Traditionally, the exploration of the impact of trauma on trauma survivors in South Africa has been focused mainly on the bio-psychosocial aspects. The bio-psychosocial approach recognises that trauma affects people biologically, socially and psychologically. In this article, the author explores a holistic understanding of the effects of trauma on people from communities historically affected by political violence in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Using a participatory action research design (PAR) as a way of working through trauma, a longitudinal study was conducted in Pietermaritzburg from 2009–2013. At the end of the study, life narratives were documented and published. The textual analysis of these life narratives reveals that, besides the bio-psychosocial effects that research participants experienced during and after the trauma, they also sustained moral and spiritual injuries. Trauma took its toll in their lives emotionally, psychologically, spiritually, morally and in their relationships with themselves, others and God. From these findings, the author argues that the bio-psychosocial approach is incomplete for understanding the holistic effects of trauma on the whole person. Therefore, he recommends the integration of the moral and spiritual aspects of trauma to come up with a holistic model of understanding the effects of trauma on traumatised individuals. The holistic model will enhance the treatment, healing and recovery of trauma survivors. This, in turn, will alleviate the severe disruption of many aspects of psychological functioning and well-being of trauma survivors caused by the effects of trauma.

Hope and Stress Resilience

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony D. Ong ◽  
Taylor Standiford ◽  
Saarang Deshpande
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Functioning ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Protective Effects ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Phenomenological Experience ◽  
Direct Association ◽  
Beneficial Impact ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Clinical Populations

A sizeable literature has implicated hopelessness in the phenomenological experience of various mood disorders, vulnerability to psychopathology, and overall poor psychological functioning. By contrast, how hope contributes to resilience and well-being has been understudied. This systematic review integrates findings from cross-sectional, longitudinal, ambulatory, and experimental studies that investigate the impact of hope and well-being outcomes in both healthy and clinical populations. Although the literature is not without theoretical gaps and methodological inconsistencies, the pattern of findings suggests that aggregate or trait measures of hope provide the most consistent evidence of a direct association between hope and well-being in healthy and clinical populations. More limited empirical data exists on the protective effects of hope. The chapter concludes that more rigorous and theoretically informed research is needed before firm conclusions can be drawn about the possible beneficial impact of hope on well-being.

scholarly journals Psychosocial impact of Covid-19 outbreak on Italian asthmatic children and their mothers in a post lockdown scenario

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Di Riso ◽  
Silvia Spaggiari ◽  
Elena Cambrisi ◽  
Valentina Ferraro ◽  
Silvia Carraro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Functioning ◽  
Control Sample ◽  
Chronically Ill ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Psychosocial Impact ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Asthmatic Children ◽  
Chronically Ill Children ◽  
Temporary Closure ◽  
The Impact

AbstractItaly was the first European country to fight the Covid-19 outbreak. To limit the transmission of the virus, the Italian Government imposed strict domestic quarantine policies and temporary closure of non-essential businesses and schools from March 10th,2020. Although more and more literature is exploring the impact of the pandemic on non-referred children and families, only a few studies are focused on the psychosocial impact of Covid-19 in chronically ill children and their caregivers. The present study investigates asthma control and children and mothers’ psychological functioning (i.e.: psychological well-being, fear of contagion, and mothers’ Covid-19 related fears) in 45 asthmatic children aged 7-to-14, compared to a control sample. The subjects were administered an online survey after the lockdown (from 28th May to 23rd August 2020). The analysis shows that asthmatic children presented higher concern in relation to contagion, however, no difference in psychological functioning was displayed between the two cohorts. Mothers reported more Covid-19 related fears, and greater worries according to the resumption of their children’s activities. Moreover, they indicated a global worsening of their psychological well-being during the lockdown. Furthermore, regarding the clinical sample, the multivariate regression model showed that a worsening of mothers' psychological and children’s physical well-being was associated with a worsening of children’s psychological well-being during the lockdown. The results of this study indicate that mothers of asthmatic children can be more prone to experience psychological fatigue in a pandemic scenario. Special programs should be developed to support caregivers of chronically ill children.

Does Employee Recognition Affect Positive Psychological Functioning and Well-Being?

2015 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mª Dolores Merino ◽  
Jesús Privado
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Functioning ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Structural Equation Models ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Psychological Resources ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Employee Recognition ◽  
Positive Psychological Functioning ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractEmployee recognition is one of the typical characteristics of healthy organizations. The majority of research on recognition has studied the consequences of this variable on workers. But few investigations have focused on understanding what mechanisms mediate between recognition and its consequences. This work aims to understand whether the relationship between employee recognition and well-being, psychological resources mediate. To answer this question a sample of 1831 workers was used. The variables measured were: employee recognition, subjective well-being and positive psychological functioning (PPF), which consists of 11 psychological resources. In the analysis of data, structural equation models were applied. The results confirmed our hypothesis and showed that PPF mediate the relationship between recognition and well-being. The effect of recognition over PPF is two times greater (.39) with peer-recognition than with supervisor-recognition (.20), and, the effect of PPF over well-being is .59. This study highlights the importance of promoting employee recognition policies in organizations for the impact it has, not only on well-being, but also on the positive psychological functioning of the workers.

scholarly journals Defensive Functioning of Individuals Diagnosed With Gender Dysphoria at the Beginning of Their Hormonal Treatment

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guido Giovanardi ◽  
Marta Mirabella ◽  
Mariagrazia Di Giuseppe ◽  
Francesco Lombardo ◽  
Anna Maria Speranza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gender Dysphoria ◽  
Defense Mechanisms ◽  
Rating Scales ◽  
Hormonal Treatment ◽  
The Body ◽  
Assessment Procedure ◽  
Transgender People ◽  
Defensive Functioning ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Body Uneasiness

Defense mechanisms are relevant indicators of psychological functioning and vulnerability to psychopathology. Their evaluation can unveil individuals' unconscious strategies for mediating reactions to emotional conflict and external stressors. At the beginning of their journey toward gender reassignment, individuals diagnosed with gender dysphoria (GD) may experience conflict and stressful experiences that trigger a wide range of defense mechanisms. Mature defenses may strengthen these individuals as they travel along this important path, while neurotic and immature defenses may exacerbate their body dissatisfaction (BD) and hinder their processing of change. Only a few studies have investigated self-reported defensive functioning in transgender people, finding a higher frequency of maladaptive defense mechanisms relative to controls. The present study was the first to apply an in-depth clinician-rated tool to assess the entire hierarchy of defense mechanisms within a sample of transgender people. Defensive functioning and personality organization were assessed in 36 individuals diagnosed with GD (14 trans women, 22 trans men, mean age 23.47 years), using the Defense Mechanisms Rating Scales (Perry, 1990) and the Shedler-Westen Assessment Procedure-200 (Shedler et al., 2014). Body uneasiness was assessed using the Body Uneasiness Test (BUT; Cuzzolaro et al., 2006). The findings showed that defensive functioning correlated positively with healthy personality functioning and negatively with BD. Compared to cisgender controls, participants with GD who presented greater defensive functioning were found to be more immature and to demonstrate significant differences in many levels of functioning. The clinical implications of the results suggest that psychological interventions aimed at improving defensive functioning in individuals with GD will be important in helping them manage the challenges posed by their gender transition.

Vicissitudes of Emotions and Political Action During the Greek Crisis

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bettina Davou
Keyword(s):  
Defense Mechanisms ◽  
Political Action ◽  
Traumatic Event ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Norms And Values ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Brain

Action readiness is considered a central property of emotions in most psychological theories. Emotions are the engine of behavior. They are the motivating, directing, prioritizing function of the brain, and impel to an immediate reaction to challenges and opportunities faced by the organism. Nevertheless, under sociopolitical malaise, emotions do not always lead to action. People leave in societies characterized by particular emotional cultures, climates, and atmospheres that set the background to what emotions are felt under which circumstances. The impact of an emotion depends on how relevant, that is, emotionally significant is the event for the individual; on the implications of the event for the person’s well-being and immediate or long-term goals; on the individual’s capacity to cope with or adjust to the consequences of the event; and on the significance of the event with respect to individual and collective self-concept and to social norms and values. Although emotions trigger action, events with high emotional intensity may mobilize defense mechanisms that distort facts, so that the event may appear distant or not concerning the individual personally. In such cases action is hindered because the meaning of the emotive event, although fully intellectually understood, does not have personal emotional reality. If the defense mechanisms prove inefficient or collapse, the event may be experienced as traumatic, that is, as a shocking occurrence that brings about a rupture in the continuity of existence, numbing of senses and mental faculties, and inability to think about what happened for periods that may last from days to years, although individuals and collectives may appear quite normal in carrying out everyday routines. Interpretative “emotion work” in formal or informal contexts may change emotions from immobilizing to mobilizing, or from destructive to constructive, as the traumatic event is being “worked through” and a cohesive narrative about it develops. But even then, action and in our case, political action, depends on the individual’s available repertoire—political efficacy and resilience—built up from past recoveries and a sense of support from social networks, and hope in assessing the costs and benefits from the harms brought by acting and the harms brought by non-acting.

scholarly journals Defense Mechanisms and Treatment Response in Depressed Inpatients

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yves de Roten ◽  
Slimane Djillali ◽  
Fabienne Crettaz von Roten ◽  
Jean-Nicolas Despland ◽  
Gilles Ambresin
Keyword(s):  
Treatment Response ◽  
Psychodynamic Psychotherapy ◽  
Defense Mechanisms ◽  
Rating Scales ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Defense Mechanism ◽  
Symptomatic Improvement ◽  
Inpatient Setting ◽  
Therapy Program ◽  
Defensive Functioning

The study investigated the extent to which defensive functioning and defense mechanisms predict clinically meaningful symptomatic improvement within brief psychodynamic psychotherapy for recurrent and chronic depression in an inpatient setting. Treatment response was defined as a reduction in symptom severity of 46% or higher from the baseline score on the Montgomery–Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). A subsample of 41 patients (19 responders and 22 non-responders) from an RCT was included. For each case, two sessions (the second and the penultimate) of brief inpatient psychodynamic psychotherapy (a manualized 12-session therapy program developed in Lausanne) were transcribed and then coded using the Defense Mechanism Rating Scales (DMRS) and the Psychotic Defense Mechanism Rating Scales (P-DMRS), an additional scale developed to study psychotic defenses. Results showed that defensive functioning and mature and immature defense changed during psychotherapy and predicted treatment response. Patient’s defenses observed throughout therapy also predicted treatment response at 12-month follow-up. The addition of psychotic defenses allows a better prediction of the treatment response. Overall, these results are in line with previous research and provide further validation of defensive functioning as a predictor of outcomes and a mechanism of change in psychotherapy.

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