Supernormal Respondents Report Fewer Immature and Neurotic Defenses Compared to Credible Respondents

Defense mechanisms are unconscious strategies used to manage anxiety triggered by unpleasant emotions, thoughts, or circumstances. They are commonly assessed through self-report questionnaires, which are known to be susceptible to response biases. This study examined the extent to which supernormality, an extreme form of positive response bias, affects self-reports of defense mechanisms.

A total of 840 participants completed the Defense Style Questionnaire (DSQ) and the Supernormality Scale-Revised (SS-R). Participants were categorized into a "supernormal" group (26.4%) and a "credible" group (73.6%) based on their SS-R scores.

Supernormal respondents reported significantly lower use of both neurotic and immature defenses as well as lower use of most defense styles, compared with credible respondents.

Supernormality seems to be associated with systematic under-reporting of both adaptive and maladaptive defenses. These findings highlight the importance of accounting for response bias when using self-report measures to assess defense mechanisms.