[Hypertension, cardiovascular diseases and defense mechanisms]

The author reviews different types of defence mechanisms with particular regard to different patterns of those defence mechanisms as found in patients with hypertension and cardiovascular diseases, especially myocardial infarction. The findings account for the following rather straightforward pattern of defence mechanism: a high degree of intrapunitivity and repression closely linked with a low degree of hostility and projection. In the discussion section the author ponders the question of the direction of interdependence and suggests the possibility of circular causality.