AN OBJECTIVE INSTRUMENT FOR MEASURING DEFENSE MECHANISMS

Describes the Defense Mechanism Inventory, a paper and pencil test which purports to measure the relative intensity of usage of 5 major groups of defenses. The inventory consists of 10 brief stories, 2 per conflict area, followed by 4 questions regarding S's actual behavior, fantasy behavior, thoughts, and feelings in the situations described. 5 responses typifying the 5 defenses (i.e., hostility-out, projection, principalization, turning-against-self, and reversal) are provided for each question, from which S selects the 1 most representative and the 1 least representative of his reaction. Reliability, validity, and normative studies are presented, all indicating that this inventory has many potential uses as a clinical and research instrument. (42 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved). © 1969 American Psychological Association.