This study investigated the defense mechanisms of 100 elderly persons before and after their cataract operations. Before the operations, the stress caused by poor vision caused the subjects to react primarily with suppression, regression, and denial. After vision was restored by the operation, the most common defense mechanisms were suppression, intellectualization, isolation, humor, and rationalization.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
CooperG.L. (1981). The stress check.Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
2.
CoxT. (1978). Stress.Hong Kong: Macmillan.
3.
FergusonG.A. (1966). Statistical analysis in psychology and education.London: McGraw-Hill.
4.
KimmelD.C. (1980). Adulthood and aging.New York: John Wiley & Sons.
5.
LeonardP., and RommelJ. (1982). Lens implantation: 30 years of progress.The Hague: Dr. W. Junk.
6.
MeissnerW.W. (1980). Theories of personality and psychopathology: Classical psychoanalysis. In KaplanH.I., FreedmanA.M., SadockB.J. (Eds.), Comprehensive textbook of psychiatry (Vol. 1, pp. 631–728). London: Williams & Wilkins.
7.
MorseA.R., and FriedmanD.B. (1986). Vision rehabilitation and aging.Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 80, 803–804.
8.
NorrisF.H., and MurrellS.A. (1984). Protective function of resources related to life events, global stress, and depression in older adults.Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 25, 424–437.
9.
RennerV.J., and BirrenJ.E. (1980). Stress: Physiological and psychological mechanisms. In BirrenJ.E., SloaneR.B. (Eds.), Handbook of mental health and aging (pp. 310–336). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
10.
Trevor-RoperP.D., and CurranA. (1984). The eye and disorders.Boston: Basil Blackwell.
