Le concept de mécanisme de défense (MD) remonte aux fondements de la psychanalyse et en constitue un des piliers théoriques. Plus récemment, en raison de l'introduction de cette notion dans une rubrique expérimentale des classifications catégorielles, les MD sont devenus un nouveau champ à explorer dans le domaine de la recherche et de la communication scientifique. L'augmentation du nombre d'études prenant en compte les MD est allée de pair avec l'élaboration d'échelles d'évaluation clinique plus utilisables que les tests projectifs. Il n'existe à notre connaissance aucune analyse comparative de ces outils.
Objectif:
Nous décrivons dans un premier temps le mode d'utilisation et les qualités métrologiques des échelles les plus récentes. Nous proposons ensuite les avantages et les limites de ces instruments d'évaluation clinique. Ce travail vise à aider les cliniciens chercheurs dans le choix de l'outil le plus adapté à leur protocole.
Méthode:
Nous présentons les outils suivants au moyen d'une revue de la documentation: Defense Mechanism Inventory, Defense Mechanism Profile, Defense Style Questionnaire (DSQ), Defense Mechanism Rating Scale, Life Style Index, Response Evaluation Measure.
Conclusion:
L'utilisation des échelles cliniques comprend de nombreuses limites liées au concept de MD. Néanmoins, leur faisabilité et leur validité en justifient l'emploi. Les avantages du DSQ ressortent du fait de ses nombreuses qualités; néanmoins les spécificités des autres instruments restent à considérer en fonction des protocoles envisagés.
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