008: Psychological Defenses with Dr. John Porcerelli

Pre-Occupied

Maddy, Zenon, and Dr. John Porcerelli discuss defense mechanisms—what they look like, how we use them, and why we use them. Dr. Porcerelli is an engaging, sharp, and incredibly knowledgeable professor of psychology at The University of Detroit Mercy, where he directs the psychology clinic. He shares his winding path from apathetic high school student to pro boxer to accomplished researcher, professor, and therapist! He enlightens us about the integral role of defense mechanisms in clinical treatment and in our everyday lives.

In the interview, Dr. Porcerelli mentions this 1894 paper in which Freud introduces the idea of defenses, titled The Neuropsychoses of Defense. In our discussion, we talk about some of the many defense mechanisms that people employ to handle emotional stressors. This PDF, a 7-page excerpt from the DSM-IV, contains the Defense Mechanism Rating Scale and list of 33 defenses that Dr. Porcerelli mentions during the interview. You can find all of Dr. Porcerelli's research on defenses at his ResearchGate page.

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