FOUNDATIONS OF MENTAL HEALTH CARE IN
CANADA BORIS BARD MENTAL HEALTH
SYSTEMS AND CARE MODELS BREAKDOWN
2026
◉ Covering Up a Lack or Weakness by Emphasizing a Desirable
Trait, or Making up for a Frustration in one are by Overemphasis in
Another area. Learned early in Childhood and may be Recognized in
Adult Behavior. Answer: Compensation, Example: The Physically
Handicapped Individual who is an Outstanding Scholar, Chuck is
awkward in sports activities and puts his energies into being an
honor student
◉ Conversion. Answer: Channeling of Unbearable Anxieties into
Body Signs and Symptoms, Example: A boy who injured an animal by
kicking it develops a painful limp
◉ Denial. Answer: REFUSAL to Acknowledge Conflict and thus
Escapes Reality of Situation, Example: A child covered with
chocolate refuses to admit eating candy
◉ REFUSAL to Face Reality. The Ego Protects itself from Unpleasant
pain or conflict by Rejecting Obvious Facts or Truth.. Answer: Denial,
Example: A Person Not seeing a Doctor because he does not want to
,know the truth, Helen is Unable to face the reality that she has a
terminal illness
◉ Displacement. Answer: Redirecting of Energies to Another Person
or Object, Example: A Husband shouts at his wife; the wife then
berates her child, who then scolds the dog, Bob took out his on the
job frustrations on his wife and children
◉ Discharging Pent-up Feelings from one object to a Less Dangerous
object. Answer: Displacement, Example: Your Supervisor yells at you
and you yell at your husband
◉ Dissociation. Answer: Separation of Emotions from Situation;
Isolation of Painful Anxieties, Example: A soldier casually describes
the battle in which he lost his legs
◉ Fantasy. Answer: Distortion of Unacceptable Wishes, Behaviors;
Example: A teenager doing poorly in school daydreams about
owning a private jet airplane
◉ Gratification by Imaginary Achievements and Wishful Thinking.
Answer: Fantasy, Example: Children's play
◉ Identification. Answer: Taking on of Personal Characteristics of
ADMIRED Person to Conceal Own Feelings of Inadequacy;
,Example: Teenage adolescents dress and behave like the members of
a popular singing group
◉ Assumption of Desirable Personality Attributes of one ADMIRED.
Satisfaction can be derived from assuming the success or the
experience of others. Answer: Identification, Example: Nurse who
Feels Sick Watching a Traumatic Procedure on her Patient, Lynn says
NO to Cocaine, having Adopted her parents' Values Rejecting the Use
of drugs
◉ Intellectualization. Answer: Focusing of Attention on Technical or
Logical Aspects of Threatening Situation;
Example: A wife describes the details of nurses unsuccessful
attempts to prevent the death of her husband
◉ Isolation. Answer: Separation of Feelings from Content to Cope
Unemotionally with Topics that would normally be Overwhelming;
Example: A soldier humorously describes how he was seriously
wounded in combat
◉ Walling off of certain ideas, attitudes, or feelings. Separating the
feelings from the intellect, by putting our emotions concerning a
specific traumatic event into an isolated compartment; This pattern
can be positive if used temporarily to keep the ego from being
overwhelmed.. Answer: Isolation, Example: The Individual talks
about a significant situation such as an accident or death without a
, display of feelings; Six months after the Death of his Son, Jeff could
discuss it Without Experiencing Earlier Painful Feelings
◉ Projection. Answer: Putting of one's own unacceptable thoughts,
wishes, emotions onto others;
Example: A woman is afraid to leave her house because she knows
people will ridicule her
◉ Attribution of one's own Undesirable traits to someone else..
Answer: Projection, Example: The child who says to a parent, "You
hate me," after the parent has spanked the child. In an adult, this
technique may be a predominant indicator of paranoia; Luther
Blames his Wife's Frigidity for his own Infidelity
◉ Rationalization. Answer: Use of a "good" but not real reason to
explain behavior to make unacceptable motivation more acceptable;
Example: A student justifies failing an examination by saying that
there was too much material to cover
◉ The attempt that is Almost Universally Employed to prove or
justify behavior. It is face saving to give a reason that is acceptable
rather than the real reason. Answer: Rationalization, Example: "It
wasn't worth it anyway", "It's all for the best", This Mechanism
relieves anxiety temporarily and helps the person avoid facing
reality; Bea feels avoids dating by saying she prefers to sit and watch
TV alone
CANADA BORIS BARD MENTAL HEALTH
SYSTEMS AND CARE MODELS BREAKDOWN
2026
◉ Covering Up a Lack or Weakness by Emphasizing a Desirable
Trait, or Making up for a Frustration in one are by Overemphasis in
Another area. Learned early in Childhood and may be Recognized in
Adult Behavior. Answer: Compensation, Example: The Physically
Handicapped Individual who is an Outstanding Scholar, Chuck is
awkward in sports activities and puts his energies into being an
honor student
◉ Conversion. Answer: Channeling of Unbearable Anxieties into
Body Signs and Symptoms, Example: A boy who injured an animal by
kicking it develops a painful limp
◉ Denial. Answer: REFUSAL to Acknowledge Conflict and thus
Escapes Reality of Situation, Example: A child covered with
chocolate refuses to admit eating candy
◉ REFUSAL to Face Reality. The Ego Protects itself from Unpleasant
pain or conflict by Rejecting Obvious Facts or Truth.. Answer: Denial,
Example: A Person Not seeing a Doctor because he does not want to
,know the truth, Helen is Unable to face the reality that she has a
terminal illness
◉ Displacement. Answer: Redirecting of Energies to Another Person
or Object, Example: A Husband shouts at his wife; the wife then
berates her child, who then scolds the dog, Bob took out his on the
job frustrations on his wife and children
◉ Discharging Pent-up Feelings from one object to a Less Dangerous
object. Answer: Displacement, Example: Your Supervisor yells at you
and you yell at your husband
◉ Dissociation. Answer: Separation of Emotions from Situation;
Isolation of Painful Anxieties, Example: A soldier casually describes
the battle in which he lost his legs
◉ Fantasy. Answer: Distortion of Unacceptable Wishes, Behaviors;
Example: A teenager doing poorly in school daydreams about
owning a private jet airplane
◉ Gratification by Imaginary Achievements and Wishful Thinking.
Answer: Fantasy, Example: Children's play
◉ Identification. Answer: Taking on of Personal Characteristics of
ADMIRED Person to Conceal Own Feelings of Inadequacy;
,Example: Teenage adolescents dress and behave like the members of
a popular singing group
◉ Assumption of Desirable Personality Attributes of one ADMIRED.
Satisfaction can be derived from assuming the success or the
experience of others. Answer: Identification, Example: Nurse who
Feels Sick Watching a Traumatic Procedure on her Patient, Lynn says
NO to Cocaine, having Adopted her parents' Values Rejecting the Use
of drugs
◉ Intellectualization. Answer: Focusing of Attention on Technical or
Logical Aspects of Threatening Situation;
Example: A wife describes the details of nurses unsuccessful
attempts to prevent the death of her husband
◉ Isolation. Answer: Separation of Feelings from Content to Cope
Unemotionally with Topics that would normally be Overwhelming;
Example: A soldier humorously describes how he was seriously
wounded in combat
◉ Walling off of certain ideas, attitudes, or feelings. Separating the
feelings from the intellect, by putting our emotions concerning a
specific traumatic event into an isolated compartment; This pattern
can be positive if used temporarily to keep the ego from being
overwhelmed.. Answer: Isolation, Example: The Individual talks
about a significant situation such as an accident or death without a
, display of feelings; Six months after the Death of his Son, Jeff could
discuss it Without Experiencing Earlier Painful Feelings
◉ Projection. Answer: Putting of one's own unacceptable thoughts,
wishes, emotions onto others;
Example: A woman is afraid to leave her house because she knows
people will ridicule her
◉ Attribution of one's own Undesirable traits to someone else..
Answer: Projection, Example: The child who says to a parent, "You
hate me," after the parent has spanked the child. In an adult, this
technique may be a predominant indicator of paranoia; Luther
Blames his Wife's Frigidity for his own Infidelity
◉ Rationalization. Answer: Use of a "good" but not real reason to
explain behavior to make unacceptable motivation more acceptable;
Example: A student justifies failing an examination by saying that
there was too much material to cover
◉ The attempt that is Almost Universally Employed to prove or
justify behavior. It is face saving to give a reason that is acceptable
rather than the real reason. Answer: Rationalization, Example: "It
wasn't worth it anyway", "It's all for the best", This Mechanism
relieves anxiety temporarily and helps the person avoid facing
reality; Bea feels avoids dating by saying she prefers to sit and watch
TV alone
