You do not currently have permission to view the full text for this document. Please sign in to an account with an active subscription or contact support.
The author finds 'semantic chaos' in the usage and literature on defense, and urges sharper definition of the relevant terms and concepts. The term 'defense mechanism' should denote only the pathological countercathectic activity of the unconscious ego, reflecting various degrees of failure of the integrative function of the ego. Defense mechanisms are categorized as 'basic rejective' and 'countering'. An instance of the former category is the rejection by the ego of the existence of a frustrating situation (as in psychosis), or the rejection of its meaningfulness by withholding affective cathexis (as in neurosis or perversion). The term 'denial',