The Relationship between Defense Style and Self-Esteem in a Sample of Cognitive Complainers

DSM-IV-TR describes psychological defense mechanisms as “automatic psychological processes that protect the individual against anxiety and from the awareness of internal or external dangers or Stressors.” These defense mechanisms are stable, unconscious processes universally used by people to protect the psyche from anxiety (Davidson and MacGregor 1998; ). Self-esteem is concerned with a person's self-evaluation and attitude toward self, and indeed everyone is motivated to maintain a high level of self-esteem (James 1890; Pyszczynski et al. 2004). Both defense mechanisms and level of self-esteem have been established as important factors in an individual's functioning (Pyszczynski et al. 2004; Zeigler-Hill, Chadha, and Osterman 2008; Zeigler-Hill 2011; Cramer 2008; Bowins 2004; Segal, Coolidge, and Mizuno 2007;