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2014 Bruno Klopfer Distinguished Contribution Award

Defense Mechanisms: 40 Years of Empirical Research

 

Abstract

This article reviews research on defense mechanisms carried out over the past 40 years with children, adolescents, adults, and psychiatric patients. Both experimental and observational studies are included.

Selected Bibliography: Phebe Cramer's Defense Mechanism Research: Chronological Order

  • Cramer, P., & Carter, T. (1978). The relationship between sexual identification and the use of defense mechanisms. Journal of Personality Assessment, 42, 63–73.
  • Cramer, P. (1979). Defense mechanisms in adolescence. Developmental Psychology, 15, 476–477.
  • Cramer, P. (1983). Children's use of defense mechanisms in reaction to displeasure caused by others. Journal of Personality, 51, 78–94.
  • Cramer, P. (1987). The development of defense mechanisms. Journal of Personality, 55, 597–614.
  • Cramer, P. (1988). The Defense Mechanism Inventory: A review of research and discussion of the scales. Journal of Personality Assessment, 52, 142–164.
  • Cramer, P., Blatt, S. J., & Ford, R. Q. (1988). Defense mechanisms in the anaclitic and introjective personality configuration. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 56, 610–616.
  • Cramer, P., & Gaul, R. (1988). The effects of success and failure on children's use of defense mechanisms. Journal of Personality, 56, 729–742.
  • Dollinger, S., & Cramer, P. (1990). Children's defensive responses and emotional upset following a disaster: A projective assessment. Journal of Personality Assessment, 54, 116–127.
  • Cramer, P., & Blatt, S. J. (1990). Use of the TAT to measure change in defense mechanisms following intensive psychotherapy. Journal of Personality Assessment, 54, 236–251.
  • Cramer, P. (1991). The development of defense mechanisms: Theory, research, and assessment. New York, NY: Springer-Verlag.
  • Cramer, P. (1991). Anger and the use of defense mechanisms in college students. Journal of Personality, 59, 39–55.
  • Cramer, P., & Blatt, S. J. (1993). Change in defense mechanisms following intensive treatment, as related to personality organization and gender. In W. Ehlers, U. Hentschel, G. Smith, & J. G. Draguns (Eds.), The concept of defense mechanisms in contemporary psychology (pp. 310–320). New York, NY: Springer-Verlag.
  • Cramer, P. (1994). Defense mechanisms. In D. Ramachandran (Ed.), Encyclopedia of human behavior (vol. 2, pp. 91–96). San Diego, CA: Academic.
  • Cramer, P. (1995). Identity, narcissism and defense mechanisms in late adolescence. Journal of Research in Personality, 29, 341–361.
  • Cramer, P. (1997). Evidence for change in children's use of defense mechanisms. Journal of Personality, 65, 233–247.
  • Cramer, P. (1997). Identity, personality and defense mechanisms: An observer-based study. Journal of Research in Personality, 31, 58–77.
  • Cramer, P., & Block, J. (1998). Preschool antecedents of defense mechanism use in young adults. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74, 159–169.
  • Cramer, P. (1998). Approaching the Thematic Apperception Test. In L. Handler & M. Hilsenroth (Eds.), Teaching and learning personality assessment (pp. 247–265). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
  • Cramer, P. (1998). Threat to gender representation: Identity and identification. Journal of Personality, 66, 335–357.
  • Cramer, P. (1998). Freshman to senior year: A follow-up study of identity, narcissism and defense mechanisms. Journal of Research in Personality, 32, 156–172.
  • Cramer, P. (1998). The clinical assessment of defense mechanisms. In G. P. Koocher, J. C. Norcross, & S. S. Hill, III (Eds.), Psychologist's desk reference (pp. 44–49). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
  • Cramer, P. (1998). Defensiveness and defense mechanisms. Journal of Personality, 66, 879–894.
  • Cramer, P. (1998). Coping and defense mechanisms: What's the difference? Journal of Personality, 66, 919–946.
  • Cramer, P., & Davidson, K. (Eds.). (1998). Defense mechanisms in current personality research. Journal of Personality, 66, 879–1157.
  • Cramer, P. (1999). Stories are telling. SPA Exchange, 8, 5–7.
  • Cramer, P. (1999). Personality, personality disorders, and defense mechanisms. Journal of Personality, 67, 535–554.
  • Cramer, P. (1999). Ego functions and ego development: Defense mechanisms and intelligence as predictors of ego level. Journal of Personality, 67, 735–760.
  • Cramer, P. (2000). Change in defense mechanisms during psychoanalysis and psychotherapy: A case study. In B. Cohler & J. Cohen (Eds.), The psychoanalytic study of lives over time: Clinical and research perspective on children who return to treatment in adulthood (pp. 309–330). New York, NY: Academic.
  • Cramer, P. (2000). Defense mechanisms in psychology today: Further processes for adaptation. American Psychologist, 55, 637–646.
  • Cramer, P., & Brilliant, M. (2001). Defense use and defense understanding in children. Journal of Personality, 69, 291–321.
  • Cramer, P. (2001). Identification and its relation to identity development. Journal of Personality, 69, 667–687.
  • Cramer, P. (2001). The unconscious status of defense mechanisms. American Psychologist, 56, 762–763.
  • Cramer, P. (2002). Defense mechanisms, behavior and affect in young adulthood. Journal of Personality, 70, 103–126.
  • Cramer, P. (2002). Defense mechanisms. In E. Erwin (Ed.), The Freud encyclopedia: Theory, therapy, and culture (pp. 139–141). New York, NY: Routledge.
  • Cramer, P. (2002). Denial. In E. Erwin (Ed.), The Freud encyclopedia: Theory, therapy, and culture (pp. 141–143). New York, NY: Routledge.
  • Cramer, P. (2002). Projection. In E. Erwin (Ed.), The Freud encyclopedia: Theory, therapy, and culture (pp. 426–427). New York, NY: Routledge.
  • Cramer, P. (2002). The study of defense mechanisms: Gender implications. In R. F. Bornstein & J. M. Masling (Eds.), The psychodynamics of gender and gender role (pp. 81–127). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
  • Cramer, P. (2003). Defense mechanisms and physiological reactivity to stress. Journal of Personality, 71, 221–244.
  • Cramer, P. (2003). Personality change in later adulthood is predicted by defense mechanism use in early adulthood. Journal of Research in Personality, 37, 76–104.
  • Sandstrom, M., & Cramer, P. (2003). Girls’ use of defense mechanisms following peer rejection. Journal of Personality, 71, 605–627.
  • Sandstrom, M., & Cramer, P. (2003). Defense mechanisms and psychological adjustment in childhood. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 191, 487–495.
  • Cramer, P. (2004). Identity change in adulthood: The contribution of defense mechanisms and life experiences. Journal of Research in Personality, 38, 280–316.
  • Cramer, P., & Kelly, F. D. (2004). Defense mechanisms in adolescent conduct disorder and adjustment reaction. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 192, 139–145.
  • Cramer, P. (2004). Stress, autonomic nervous system reactivity, and defense mechanisms. In U. Hentschel, G. Smith, J. G. Draguns, & W. Ehlers (Eds.), Defense mechanisms: Theoretical, research and clinical perspectives (pp. 325–349). San Diego, CA: Elsevier.
  • Cramer, P. (2005). Another “lens” for understanding therapeutic change: The interaction of IQ with defense mechanisms. In J. S. Auerbach, K. N. Levy, & C. E. Schaffer (Eds.), Relatedness, self-definition and mental representation: Essays in honor of Sidney J. Blatt (pp. 120–133). New York, NY: Routledge.
  • Cramer, P., & Tracy, A. (2005). The pathway from child personality to adult adjustment: The road is not straight. Journal of Research in Personality, 39, 369–394.
  • Cramer, P. (2007). Longitudinal study of defense mechanisms: Late childhood to late adolescence. Journal of Personality, 75, 1–24.
  • Cramer, P., & Jones, C. J. (2007). Defense mechanisms predict differential lifespan change in self-control and self-acceptance. Journal of Research in Personality, 41, 841–855.
  • Cramer, P., & Jones, C. J. (2008). Narcissism, identification, and longitudinal change in psychological health: Dynamic predictions. Journal of Research in Personality, 42, 1148–1159.
  • Cramer, P. (2008). Identification and the development of competence: A 44-year longitudinal study from late adolescence to late middle age. Psychology and Aging, 23, 410–421.
  • Cramer, P. (2008). Seven pillars of defense mechanism theory. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 2, 1963–1981.
  • Cramer, P. (2009). The development of defense mechanisms from pre-adolescence to early adulthood: Do IQ and social class matter? A longitudinal study. Journal of Research in Personality, 43, 464–471.
  • Cramer, P. (2009). An increase in early adolescent undercontrol is associated with the use of denial. Journal of Personality Assessment, 91, 331–339.
  • Cramer, P. (2009). Defense mechanisms and self-doubt. In R. M. Arkin, K. C. Oleson, & P. J. Carroll (Eds.), Handbook of the uncertain self (pp. 338–359). New York, NY: Psychology Press.
  • Cramer, P., & Kelly, F. D. (2010). Attachment styles and defense mechanisms in parents who abuse their children. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 198, 619–627.
  • Cramer, P. (2011). Young adult narcissism: A 20 year longitudinal study of the contribution of parenting styles, preschool precursors of narcissism, and denial. Journal of Research in Personality, 45, 19–28.
  • Cramer, P. (2012). Psychological maturity and change in adult defense mechanisms. Journal of Research in Personality, 46, 306–316.
  • Soukupová, T., Goldmann, P., & Cramer, P. (2012). Systém hodnocení obranných mechanismů v TAT podle Phebe Cramerové [Defense mechanisms assessment in TAT according to Phebe Cramer]. In I. Čermák & T. Fikarová (Eds.), Tematicko-apercepční test: interpretační perspektivy (pp. 401–420). Nové Zámky, Slovakia: Psychoprof, spol. s.r.o.
  • Cramer, P. (2013). Estudios empiricos sobre mechanismos de defensa [Empirical studies of defense mechanisms]. Subjetividad y Procesos Cognitivos, 17, 97–117. Buenos Aires, Argentina: Universidad de Ciencias Empresariales y Sociales.
  • Books Published
  • Cramer, P. (1991). The development of defense mechanisms: Theory, research and assessment. New York, NY: Springer-Verlag.
  • Cramer, P. (1996). Story telling, narrative and the Thematic Apperception Test. New York, NY: Guilford.
  • Cramer, P. (2006). Protecting the self: Defense mechanisms in action. New York, NY: Guilford.

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