There is an ongoing tension in the psychodynamic field between interpreting the meaning of a patient\'s verbal productions or actions and addressing the defenses utilized by the patient. Some authors maintain that implicit interactions between analyst and patient may be more important than the verbal interventions by the analyst. This article stresses the importance of observing and appropriately addressing how patients manage painful affects in the sessions. Focusing the patients\' attention on their at-the-moment defenses as they occur in the session is an experience-near intervention and minimizes interventions that address issues far from the patient\'s consciousness and that require a high level of conjecture by the therapist. This technique can be utilized at any point in treatment, regardless of its duration and intensity. Several vignettes are provided that suggest that addressing defenses against painful affect is a pantheoretical construct and may be a common factor in psychodynamic treatment. A successful randomized control trial utilizing this technique with children (regulation-focused psychotherapy) is described. There have been limited empirical studies of the impact of therapists addressing defenses in sessions, but the work of J. Christopher Perry and colleagues, particularly the development of the Psychodynamic Intervention Rating Scales, offers an opportunity to further study the impact of defense interpretations and other interventions.

Given the increasing utilization of forest components in integration systems worldwide, coupled with the growing demand for food in regions facing water restrictions, this study aims to evaluate how physiological and biochemical parameters contribute to the diversification of adaptive mechanisms among native species and eucalyptus genotypes intercropped with soybean or corn. The native tree species Anadenanthera macrocarpa and Dipteryx alata, and the eucalyptus genotypes Urograndis I-144 and Urocam VM01, were grown in soybean and corn intercropping areas and evaluated in fall, winter, spring, and summer. The study evaluated morning water potential, chloroplast pigment concentration, gas exchange, cell damage, and antioxidant enzyme activity. Intercropped with soybean, development the of A. macrocarpa improved through instantaneous water use efficiency, energy use by the electron transport chain, chloroplast pigments, and catalase enzyme activity. On the other hand, A. macrocarpa when, intercropped with corn, despite increasing energy absorption by the reaction center, there is a need for non-photochemical dissipation and in the activity of the enzymes superoxide dismutase and ascorbate peroxidase in response to water and oxidative deficits. In D. alata, the physiological and biochemical responses were not influenced by intercropping but by seasons, with increased chloroplast pigments in fall and electron transport in summer. However, in corn intercropping, the dissipation of excess energy allowed leaf acclimatization. The I-144 and VM01 genotypes also showed no significant differences between intercrops. The results describe photosynthetic and biochemical challenges in the native species A. macrocarpa intercropped with corn, such as a greater need for enzymatic and non-enzymatic defense mechanisms in response to more negative water potential. In D. alata, the challenges are present in both intercrops due to improved mechanisms to protect the photosynthetic apparatus. The survival of the I-144 genotype may be inefficient in both intercrops under prolonged drought conditions, as it modifies the photosystem; in contrast, genotype VM01 was the most adapted to the system for using captured energy, reducing water loss and being resilient.

UNASSIGNED: This study explored whether several subgroups of athletes representing distinct trajectories of intensity and direction of pleasant and unpleasant emotions (anger, anxiety, dejection, excitement, and happiness) could be shown to exist within the latent growth analysis (LCGA). A secondary objective was to examine whether athletes belonging to distinct trajectories of intensity and direction of emotions reported distinct scores of adaptive defense mechanisms (ADM) and maladaptive defense mechanisms (MDM).
UNASSIGNED: A longitudinal four-wave measurement design was used in the present study.
UNASSIGNED: 380 athletes completed the sports emotion questionnaire direction across four measurement times and the defense style questionnaire at the beginning of the season.
UNASSIGNED: Results of LCGAs revealed several distinct emotional trajectories for each emotion intensity and emotion direction. Moreover, athletes belonging to distinct (adaptive or maladaptive) trajectories reported significantly different scores of ADM and MDM. Higher scores of ADM were reported by athletes belonging to adaptive trajectories of the direction of emotions.
UNASSIGNED: Sports psychologists should try to promote ADM and defensive flexibility to help athletes perceive their emotions as facilitative.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play a complex role in interactions between plant viruses and their host plants. They can both help the plant defend against viral infection and support viral infection and spread. This review explores the various roles of ROS in plant-virus interactions, focusing on their involvement in symptom development and the activation of plant defense mechanisms. The article discusses how ROS can directly inhibit viral infection, as well as how they can regulate antiviral mechanisms through various pathways involving miRNAs, virus-derived small interfering RNAs, viral proteins, and host proteins. Additionally, it examines how ROS can enhance plant resistance by interacting with hormonal pathways and external substances. The review also considers how ROS might promote viral infection and transmission, emphasizing their intricate role in plant-virus dynamics. These insights offer valuable guidance for future research, such as exploring the manipulation of ROS-related gene expression through genetic engineering, developing biopesticides, and adjusting environmental conditions to improve plant resistance to viruses. This framework can advance research in plant disease resistance, agricultural practices, and disease control.

Across two studies, using five samples (N = 1,850), we examined whether health information avoidance-the deliberate decision to remain ignorant of available but unwanted personal health information-serves a defensive purpose and is interchangeable with other defensive strategies. We tested this idea by examining the relationship between health information avoidance-both as a dispositional tendency and deliberate decision-and feedback derogation. In Study 1, we experimentally demonstrated that a situation known to reduce defensiveness-self-uncertainty-decreased both proactive avoidance and reactive defensiveness relative to a control group. Study 2 demonstrated, across four samples, that people with a greater defensive orientation toward personal health information were more likely to derogate health information. These results are consistent with the idea that feedback derogation replaced the decision to avoid feedback. Together, results suggest that health information avoidance is likely part of a broader self-protective system and is replaceable with other motivated self-protection strategies.

BACKGROUND: The escalating incidence of cancer and the concurrent rise in mental health issues necessitate investigation into the potential for psychological factors to impede timely and effective treatment. This study examines the association between defense mechanism styles and disease progression, specifically focusing on clinical staging, in patients diagnosed with gastrointestinal (GI) cancer.
METHODS: Employing a descriptive correlational design, the study recruited 205 patients with GI cancer admitted to Javad Al-Aeme Hospital in Kerman, Iran, during the year 2022. Convenience sampling was utilized for participant selection. Data collection instruments included the Defense Style Questionnaire-40 (DSQ-40) and patients\' documented clinical stage information. Correlation coefficients and ordinal logistic regression were employed for data analysis.
RESULTS: Over half of 205 GI cancer patients were female (53.2%). The majority were married (85.8%) with an average age of 53.86 ± 8.21 years. Nearly a quarter (23.9%) were in disease stage 1, with similar proportions in stages 2 (25.4%), 3 (27.3%), and 4 (23.4%). The findings revealed a significant inverse correlation between mature defense mechanism styles and clinical stage (r =  - 0.55, p < 0.001), indicating that patients who employed more adaptive defense mechanisms had lower-stage cancer. Conversely, a significant positive correlation was observed between immature defense mechanism styles and clinical stage (r =  - 0.49, p < 0.001), suggesting that patients who relied on less effective defense mechanisms had more advanced-stage cancer. However, no significant association was found between neurotic defense mechanism styles and clinical stage (r =  - 0.12, p = 0.079).
CONCLUSIONS: This study provides preliminary evidence that defense mechanism styles are associated with disease progression in patients with GI cancer. Mature defense mechanisms may promote slower disease progression, while immature defense mechanisms may contribute to more advanced disease stages. Further research is needed to confirm these findings and develop interventions to improve psychological well-being in this patient population.

The Defense Mechanisms Rating Scales-Self Report-30 (DMRS-SR-30) was recently developed to add a self-report alternative to the assessment of defenses, reflecting their generally accepted hierarchical organization. In this study, we aimed to examine psychometric properties and factor structure of the Turkish language version of the DMRS-SR-30. The sample consisted of 1.002 participants who filled out a survey comprising the DMRS-SR-30, the Brief Symptom Inventory, and the Inventory of Personality Organization through Qualtrics. Confirmatory Factor Analysis indicated a three-factor structure (CFI = 0.89, RMSEA = 0.05) that confirms the DMRS theoretical frame with a relatively acceptable fit. Defensive categories and total scale scores showed good to excellent reliability (α values ranging from 0.64 to 0.89). Correlations between defenses, symptoms, and personality functioning demonstrated good convergent and discriminant validity. The individuals with clinically significant BSI scores (T-score ≥ 63) differed on the DMRS-SR-30 scores from the individuals in the non-clinical range. The Turkish version of the DMRS-SR-30 is a reliable and valid instrument to self-assess the hierarchy of defense mechanisms and overall defensive functioning. Moreover, the current study supports the validity of the tripartite model of defenses in a language and culture different from the origins of the DMRS and DMRS-SR-30.

OBJECTIVE: Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is known to share characteristics with a variety of personality disorders (PDs) and exhibits diverse patterns of defense mechanisms. To enhance our understanding of BPD, it\'s crucial to shift our focus from traditional categorical diagnostics to the dimensional traits shared with other PDs, as the borderline personality organization (BPO) model suggests. This approach illuminates the nuanced spectrum of BPD characteristics, offering deeper insights into its complexity. While studies have investigated the comorbidity of BPD with other PDs, research exploring the relationship between various personality factors and defense mechanisms within BPD itself has been scarce. The present study was undertaken to investigate the complex interrelationships between various personality factors and defense styles in individuals diagnosed with BPD.
METHODS: Using a network analysis approach, data from 227 patients diagnosed with BPD were examined using the Defense Style Questionnaire and Personality Disorder Questionnaire-4+ for assessment.
RESULTS: Intricate connections were observed between personality factors and defense styles. Significant associations were identified between various personality factors and defense styles, with immature defense styles, such as maladaptive and image-distorting being particularly prominent in BPD in the centrality analysis. The maladaptive defense style had the highest expected influence centrality. Furthermore, the schizotypal, dependent, and narcissistic personality factors demonstrated relatively high centrality within the network.
CONCLUSIONS: Network analysis can effectively delineate the complexity of various PDs and defense styles. These findings are expected to facilitate a deeper understanding of why BPD exhibits various levels of organization and presents with heterogeneous characteristics, consistent with the perspectives proposed by the BPO.

Peer support is based on the mirror effect between the peer carer and the person being supported, which is a powerful lever for recovery. Through their work, peer helpers also hold up a mirror to \"non-peer\" carers. The reflection they see is a litmus test that can lead to changes in care practices, but it can also generate defensive reactions.

UNASSIGNED: The experience of several adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) has been shown to be associated with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Disturbances in Self-Organization (DSO) symptoms among adolescents. Defense mechanisms and coping styles are psychological processes involved in the association of ACEs with PTSD and DSO symptoms. However, there is a lack of research on the joint association of these variables among Faroese adolescents.
UNASSIGNED: The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of exposure to ACEs on PTSD and DSO symptoms trough the indirect effect of defense mechanisms and coping styles in a sample of Faroese adolescents.
UNASSIGNED: Six hundred and eighty-seven Faroese adolescents were recruited from 19 schools. Participants responded to validated self-report questionnaires. A multiple step mediation and a serial mediation methodology were conducted through structural equation modeling.
UNASSIGNED: Exposure to ACEs was linked to PTSD and DSO symptoms through the indirect effect of immature defense mechanisms, emotional coping, and detachment coping. Exposure to ACEs was linked to PTSD symptoms through rational coping.
UNASSIGNED: The results suggest a mutual relationship between defense mechanisms and coping styles in coping with multiple adversity among adolescents.