title: Defense styles in Intermittent Explosive Disorder.
abstract: The overreliance on immature and/or neurotic defense mechanisms, as opposed to more mature defensive functioning has been linked to several psychiatric disorders. However, to date, the role of defense styles among individuals with Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED) has not been examined. Given that individuals with IED display difficulties controlling their anger and aggression, one might expect these individuals to exhibit more immature and less mature defense styles. The current study compared participants with IED to a personality disorder (PD) comparison group, as well as to healthy volunteers (HV) on the Defense Style Questionnaire, a self-report measure that assesses the extent to which individuals endorse using mature, immature, and neurotic defense styles. Subjects with IED had significantly higher scores than both comparison groups on immature defense styles and exhibited lower scores on mature defense mechanisms. Hierarchical regression of significant defense style subscales showed that higher levels of acting out and lower levels of sublimation uniquely discriminated participants with IED from the PD and HV comparison groups.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Alexander A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Puhalla
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA. Electronic address: mikemccloskey@temple.edu.
authors.forename: Michael S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: McCloskey
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Lauren J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Brickman
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fauber
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Clinical Neuroscience & Psychopharmacology Research Unit, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Emil F
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Coccaro
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology*; D000786:Anger; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003674:Defense Mechanisms; D007174:Disruptive, Impulse Control, and Conduct Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D013359:Sublimation, Psychological; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Defense styles; Defensive; Intermittent Explosive Disorder; Personality disorder; Style