Psychology - Fun Activity - Unconscious Defense Mechanisms - Freud

The study of defense mechanisms is a great way to introduce your students to the world of the Unconscious and its influence upon our behaviors. Since we all do them sometimes--and we all know someone who does them almost all the time--it’s something everyone can relate to. Students are often pleasantly surprised to learn that there’s a name for these behaviors that they have observed in other people (and in themselves).

This introspective student-centered activity is simple but very engaging and enlightening. It’s based on psychologically significant episodes in the lives of the students themselves, utilizing their responses to carefully worded prompts designed to elicit real-life examples of people using unconscious defense mechanisms. The activity encourages students to not only learn the names and definitions of the most commonly used defense mechanisms, but to relate them to their lives and the lives of their classmates, and to apply the concepts in practice. Perhaps most importantly, this activity can help anyone gain some perspective on their relationships and on themselves.

This 11-page package includes: the double-sided Personal Free-Response Worksheet; Teacher’s key for Part 2; a thoroughly-researched and professionally-written handout on Unconscious Defense Mechanisms; the double-sided Practice and Review Worksheet; Teacher’s key for the Practice and Application Worksheet; plus Teacher’s Guide sheet to help you implement the lesson.