Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Mature and immature defenses. A study of repressors and trait anxiety groups

Carlsson, Ingegerd LU and Neuman, Fredrik (2008) p.127-142
Abstract
To investigate defense mechanisms, repressors (n= 14), highly anxious (n = 37) and low anxious (n = 7) groups were tested with the Meta Contrast Technique (Smith, Johnson, Almgren & Johanson, 2001). The division into repressors and anxiety groups was made on a larger group (N = 140), which was also investigated with respect to experienced access to preconscious processes, here operationalized as memory for dreams.

Results: The repressors got higher scores on immature defense mechanisms than the highly or low anxious groups (p = .04 versus p < .05). The repressors as well as the highly anxious group were higher on a measure of overall defense than the low anxious group (p < .05 in both comparisons). Regarding the... (More)
To investigate defense mechanisms, repressors (n= 14), highly anxious (n = 37) and low anxious (n = 7) groups were tested with the Meta Contrast Technique (Smith, Johnson, Almgren & Johanson, 2001). The division into repressors and anxiety groups was made on a larger group (N = 140), which was also investigated with respect to experienced access to preconscious processes, here operationalized as memory for dreams.

Results: The repressors got higher scores on immature defense mechanisms than the highly or low anxious groups (p = .04 versus p < .05). The repressors as well as the highly anxious group were higher on a measure of overall defense than the low anxious group (p < .05 in both comparisons). Regarding the separate defense categories, a significant difference was found for repression, which was more frequent in the highly anxious than in the low anxious group (p = .003). Memory for dreams differed only in the men. The male repressors scored significantly lower on dream memory than the highly anxious men (p < .02).

The immature defensive structure in the repressors was discussed in terms of regressive reactions, speculatively due to a lack of symbolic functioning concerning anxiety-arousing areas, i.e. alexithymia. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
publication status
published
subject
host publication
Process and Personality. Actualization of the personal world with process-oriented methods
editor
Smith, Gudmund and Carlsson, Ingegerd
pages
127 - 142
publisher
Ontos Verlag
ISBN
978-3-938793-89-3
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
f8f21f44-67a6-4b68-a308-033d847aab0c (old id 976163)
date added to LUP
2016-04-04 10:35:57
date last changed
2018-11-21 20:59:41
@inbook{f8f21f44-67a6-4b68-a308-033d847aab0c,
  abstract     = {{To investigate defense mechanisms, repressors (n= 14), highly anxious (n = 37) and low anxious (n = 7) groups were tested with the Meta Contrast Technique (Smith, Johnson, Almgren &amp; Johanson, 2001). The division into repressors and anxiety groups was made on a larger group (N = 140), which was also investigated with respect to experienced access to preconscious processes, here operationalized as memory for dreams. <br/><br>
Results: The repressors got higher scores on immature defense mechanisms than the highly or low anxious groups (p = .04 versus p &lt; .05). The repressors as well as the highly anxious group were higher on a measure of overall defense than the low anxious group (p &lt; .05 in both comparisons). Regarding the separate defense categories, a significant difference was found for repression, which was more frequent in the highly anxious than in the low anxious group (p = .003). Memory for dreams differed only in the men. The male repressors scored significantly lower on dream memory than the highly anxious men (p &lt; .02).<br/><br>
The immature defensive structure in the repressors was discussed in terms of regressive reactions, speculatively due to a lack of symbolic functioning concerning anxiety-arousing areas, i.e. alexithymia.}},
  author       = {{Carlsson, Ingegerd and Neuman, Fredrik}},
  booktitle    = {{Process and Personality. Actualization of the personal world with process-oriented methods}},
  editor       = {{Smith, Gudmund and Carlsson, Ingegerd}},
  isbn         = {{978-3-938793-89-3}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{127--142}},
  publisher    = {{Ontos Verlag}},
  title        = {{Mature and immature defenses. A study of repressors and trait anxiety groups}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/5576948/1270604.pdf}},
  year         = {{2008}},
}