Am J Psychiatry 1996; 153:826-828
Copyright © 1996 by American Psychiatric Association
Defense mechanisms and adjustment in normal adolescents
SJ Erickson, SS Feldman and H Steiner
Department of Psychiatry, Stanford University School of Medicine, CA 94305-5540, USA.
OBJECTIVE: This study compared self-perception of defense patterns with
objective and independent ratings of general adjustment in normal
adolescents. METHOD: Self-perception of defense utilization by 140 high
school students was measured by an adolescent version of Bond's Defense
Style Questionnaire. The DSM-III-R Global Assessment of Functioning Scale
was used by clinicians in determining general adjustment. RESULTS: Defense
style and adjustment were significantly related; greater maturity of
defense style was associated with better global adjustment, and conversely,
greater immaturity of defense style was associated with a lower level of
functioning. CONCLUSIONS: Adolescents' self-perceived defense patterns have
conscious correlates associated with general adjustment. This study extends
the validity of the defense mechanism paradigm to the adolescent age group.
