2. Denial is the refusal to believe an event took place. This often happens in the death of a loved one or when a spouse has been cheated on. When my grandfather first passed I was in complete denial. I just kept thinking there had to have been a mistake. I waited and waited for many hours thinking it couldn't be true, but …show more content…
Rationalization is finding a reason for an unacceptable behavior. This may be found in individuals going through denial. If someone is addicted to drugs it may be rationalized by saying that their life is hard and the drugs ease their pain. As I was saying earlier I would become angry for no good reason and in this time I would also try to rationalize it. I would say things to myself like well he/she started it or try to find a way to justify what I did.
5. Intellectualization is when an individual removes their emotion from an event and focuses on it intellectually. If someone is accused of a crime they may put their time into research about the crime and legal process in order to forget about what could become of them if they are charged. When my father attempted suicide, I focused only on his newly diagnosed bipolar disorder. I felt like the more I learned, the more I would understand why, but I was just trying to forget about him attempting to take his own life.
6. Reaction formation is described as a defense mechanism in which someone thinks their true feeling or desires are unacceptable. These individuals then try to make others believe the opposite in a very exaggerated way. In many situations individuals who are homosexual are scared to come out publicly. When accused of being homosexual they may aggressively deny it and try to do things to prove they are