The Relationship between Personality Organization and Defense Mechanisms

The purpose of this study was to Predict the defense styles based on the personality organization and its dimensions. 240 university students (125 males and 115 females) of Shiraz University were selected by availble sampling. Participants responded to the Defensive Style Questionnaire and the Kernberg’s Inventory of Personality Organization. Datas were analyzed by stepwise regression. Results showed that between dimensions of personality organization (primitive defenses، identity diffusion and reality testing)، Primitive defenses predicts the immature defense style. The results also revealed that overall vulnerability of the personality predicts the immature defense style with a relatively good power، however it has، less power to predict mature and neurotic defense styles. It was also indicated that participants with psychotic and borderline personality organizations use immature defense mechenisms more fnequently.