Editing Defence mechanism (section)

===Level 2: immature===
These mechanisms are often present in adults. These mechanisms lessen distress and anxiety produced by threatening people or by an uncomfortable reality.  Excessive use of such defences is seen as socially undesirable, in that they are immature, difficult to deal with and seriously out of touch with reality.  These are the so-called "immature" defences and overuse almost always leads to serious problems in a person's ability to cope effectively.  These defences are often seen in [[major depression]] and [[personality disorders]].<ref name="Vaillant, G. E. 1986"/>
They include:
*''[[Acting out]]'': Direct expression of an unconscious wish or impulse in action, without conscious awareness of the emotion that drives the expressive behavior
*''[[Hypochondriasis]]'': An excessive preoccupation or worry about having a serious illness
*''[[Passive-aggressive behavior]]'': Indirect expression of hostility
*''[[Psychological projection|Projection]]'': A primitive form of [[paranoia]]. Projection reduces anxiety by allowing the expression of the undesirable impulses or desires without becoming consciously aware of them; attributing one's own unacknowledged, unacceptable, or unwanted thoughts and emotions to another; includes severe [[prejudice]] and [[Envy|jealousy]], [[hypervigilance]] to external danger, and "injustice collecting", all with the aim of shifting one's unacceptable thoughts, feelings and impulses onto someone else, such that those same thoughts, feelings, beliefs and motivations are perceived as being possessed by the other.
*''[[Fantasy (psychology)|Schizoid fantasy]]'': Tendency to retreat into fantasy in order to resolve inner and outer conflicts
*''[[Splitting (psychology)|Splitting]]'': A primitive defence. Both harmful and helpful impulses are split off and segregated, frequently projected onto someone else. The defended individual segregates experiences into all-good and all-bad categories, with no room for ambiguity and ambivalence. When "splitting" is combined with "projecting", the undesirable qualities that one unconsciously perceives oneself as possessing, one consciously attributes to another.<ref name="McWilliams">{{cite book|title=Psychoanalytic Diagnosis: Understanding Personality Structure in the Clinical Process, Second Edition|last=McWilliams|first=Nancy|publisher=The Guilford Press|year=2011|isbn=978-1609184940|location=New York, NY|pages=60,63,103}}</ref>