Toward Developing a Scale to Empirically Measure Psychotic Defense Mechanisms

Abstract

In recent years, research on psychological processes has greatly advanced our understanding of various psychopathologies. Defense mechanisms, for example, have been described as observable phenomena, and studies have shown meaningful relationships among these processes and other measurable dimensions of health and illness. Despite some notable exceptions, one area that has been overlooked is the empirical study of defenses in psychotic disorders. This is in part due to the lack of valid instruments measuring psychotic-level defenses. Propadeutic to creating an empirical scale for measuring psychotic defenses, the psychoanalytic and empirical literature on psychotic defenses is reviewed, after which the concept of psychotic defenses as measured by the P-DMRS (Psychotic-Defense Mechanism Rating Scales)—which can be used independently or in combination with the current DMRS (Defense Mechanism Rating Scales)—is operationalized. Finally, current research directions applying the P-DMRS to the clinical setting are presented, as well as its implications for guiding current clinical practice.