| Desription | Mechanism | Example |
| Refusing to recognize an anxiety-producing event | |
| Covering up true reasons for feelings, actions, or thoughts | |
| Transferring feelings thatare unacceptable to another object | |
| Redirecting an inappropriate desire into an appropriate one | |
| Blocking unacceptable or threatening feelings | |
| Substituting behaviors, thoughts, or feelings that are opposite of unacceptable ones | |
| Falsely attributing unacceptable characteristics to others | |