Preliminary Findings on the Associations Between Defense Mechanisms and Implicit Versus Explicit Negative Affect

Since the initial conceptualization of defense mechanisms by Freud (1923), it is assumed that defense mechanisms are mental operations that serve to keep unpleasant affects out of awareness. Empirical evidence on how defense mechanisms varying in terms of their adaptiveness relate to implicit versus explicit negative affect, however, is missing. In the present study, we aimed to fill this gap and investigated how participants' habitual use of defense mechanisms was related to both explicit and implicit negative affect. We analyzed data from a cross-sectional study with N = 254 participants, using bifactor structural equation modeling. Distinct associations between defense mechanisms and the latent residual of implicit negative affect were explored. Results revealed that higher usage of defense mechanisms-independent of their adaptivity-was significantly related to higher levels of implicit negative affect. More reported usage of intermediate and maladaptive defense mechanisms was associated with more explicitly reported negative affect. Limitations, theoretical and practical implications of the findings, and future directions are discussed.