The Response Evaluation Measure (REM-71): A New Instrument for the Measurement of Defenses in Adults and Adolescents

Steiner, Hans; Araujo, Katy; Koopman, Cheryl

doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.158.3.467

Cited by 77 publications

(98 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Denial often entirely negates awareness of some disturbing aspect of experience. However, when denial only involves an isolation of affect it is significantly more adaptive than when a near-psychotic distortion of reality transpires (Steiner et al, 2001).…”

Section: Cognitive Distortionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Most of the classical psychological defense mechanisms commonly referred to in the psychoanalytic literature can be subsumed under cognitive distortions (Steiner, Araujo, & Koopman, 2001). Sigmund Freud and his daughter, Anna Freud, outlined most of these defenses and identified five of their important properties: defenses are a major means of managing conflict and disturbing affect; defenses are relatively unconscious; they are discrete from one another; although they are the hallmark of major psychiatric syndromes, they are reversible; defenses are adaptive as well as pathological (Vaillant, 1994).…”

Section: Cognitive Distortionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These mature defenses involve relatively minor cognitive distortions, largely consisting of an attenuation of unwelcome experience (Steiner et al, 2001). Humor alters the content of a potentially disturbing scenario so that it becomes lighter and more tolerable.…”

Section: Cognitive Distortionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Psychological Defense Mechanisms: A New Perspective

Bowins¹

2004

Am J Psychoanal

115

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Approaching psychological defense mechanisms from the perspective of an evolved strategy, it is proposed that there are two basic templates-dissociation and cognitive distortions. Frequently conceived of as pathological, these psychological phenomena actually constitute overlapping spectrums with milder manifestations being common and highly functional, and more severe variants less common and typically dysfunctional. Dissociation provides the capacity to adaptively detach from disturbing emotional states, and cognitive distortions place a positive ego-enhancing spin on experience. Most of the classical defense mechanisms described in the psychoanalytic literature represent a form of cognitive distortion with some containing strong elements of dissociation.

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Section: Cognitive Distortionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Cognitive Distortionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Psychological Defense Mechanisms: A New Perspective

Bowins¹

2004

Am J Psychoanal

115

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“…Aligned with Vaillant's original model of immature versus mature defenses, the REM-71 is a self-report instrument which has good psychometric properties (Araujo et al 2006;Steiner et al 2001) that organizes defenses into two categories: Factor 1 defenses (assimilation) and Factor 2 defenses (accommodation) (Prunas et al 2014). Factor 1 and Factor 2 are each sub-categorized into intrapsychic defenses, which are internally focused, and interpersonal defenses, which manifest in the context of relating to others (Steiner et al 2001). The terms Bassimilation,^or absorbing external information based on one's internal schema, and Baccommodation,^or modifying internal schemas based on external information, represent a similar adaptive hierarchy as Bimmature^and Bmature,^re-spectively.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Defense mechanism is predicted by attachment and mediates the maladaptive influence of insecure attachment on adolescent mental health

Laczkovics

Bendixsen²,

Shpigel

et al. 2018

Curr Psychol

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There is limited research exploring attachment style and defenses in adolescents. The purpose of the current research is to explore the relationship between adolescent attachment style and development of defense mechanisms, as well as attachment style and problem behaviors. A total of 1487 students from two California high-schools completed three self-report questionnaires to establish defense mechanisms, psychiatric symptoms, and attachment style. Attachment styles characterized by a positive selfimage predict greater levels of mature defense mechanisms, and lower levels of immature defense mechanisms, both in the interpersonal and intrapsychic domains. Relationships between insecure attachment styles and psychopathology were mediated by greater levels of immature defense mechanisms. These results provide initial compelling evidence that: a) attachment style is an important determinant of the type of defense mechanisms utilized by the individual to maintain psychological stability; and b) defense mechanisms serve to transmit the detrimental effects of insecure attachment style on psychological health.

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“…In order to evaluate the use of defense mechanisms, we used the Response Evaluation Measure for Youth (REM-71) (Steiner, Araujo, & Koopman, 2001), a self-report scale comprised of 71 items which allow to assess 21 different defenses strategies. Defenses are grouped into three factors: Factor 1 includes twelve defenses considered immature in terms of distortion of reality (Acting Out, Conversion, Splitting, Displacement, Dissociation, Fantasy, Passive Aggression, Projection, Suppression, Somatization, Undoing, Withdrawal); Factor 2 includes six defenses characterized by an attempt to deny or minimize feelings that are subjective experienced as intolerable (Denial, Repression, Humor, Intellectualization, Reactive Formation, Omnipotence) Factor 3 includes three mature defenses which allow an adaptive functioning (Idealization, Altruism, Sublimation).…”

Section: Assessment Of Defense Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Somatoform Symptoms In Adolescents Who Visit The Emergency Department: Alexithymia And Defensive Strategies

Marzilli¹

2017

European Proceedings of Social and Behavioural Sciences

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Somatoform symptoms represent one of the main reasons of access to emergency department (ED) in adolescence. Research in this field has limitedly focused on difficulties to recognize and cope with their own emotions, considering the access rate to an ED. The present study aims to verify whether adolescents who accessed an ED for somatoform symptoms show high alexithymia traits and use specific defense strategies. Adolescents (range: 15-24 years) who visited an ED for somatoform symptoms (N=37) or who accessed to an ED for somatoform symptoms in the past (N=37) were involved in this study and completed the TAS-20 to assess alexithymia and the REM-71 to assess use of defense mechanisms. A control group of adolescents from general population were paired. Adolescents who visited an ED for somatoform symptoms shown more alexithymic traits and a higher use of maladaptive defense strategies respect to control group. Higher rates of access to ED are associated with more use of repression, but only for adolescents who accessed to an ED in the past. Finally, alexithymic characteristics are associated with use of specific defense strategies. Our findings confirm that ED is one of the most used services of young people suffering from somatoform symptoms. In this perspective, ED visits are to be considered as adolescents' unconscious attempt to seek psychological help. These findings evidence the importance of prevention programs based on increasing of awareness and acceptance of unconscious needs and on the promoting of use of adaptive defense mechanisms.

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The Response Evaluation Measure (REM-71): A New Instrument for the Measurement of Defenses in Adults and Adolescents

Abstract: The Response Evaluation Measure is a brief, coherent, and potentially useful screening instrument for the assessment of defenses in adults and adolescents.

Cited by 77 publications

References 23 publications

Psychological Defense Mechanisms: A New Perspective

Psychological Defense Mechanisms: A New Perspective

Defense mechanism is predicted by attachment and mediates the maladaptive influence of insecure attachment on adolescent mental health

Somatoform Symptoms In Adolescents Who Visit The Emergency Department: Alexithymia And Defensive Strategies

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