Temperament type and psychological defense mechanisms

Introduction. The adaptation of university students to academic activities is a complex process, which is most pronounced in first-year students. The effectiveness of adaptation is associated with many factors, including the temperament type and psychological defense mechanisms. The paper presents the results of an empirical study of the relationship between temperament type and psychological defense mechanisms. Materials and methods. The sample involved 113 first-year female students of the Novosibirsk State University of Economics and Management. Temperament types were identified with the Rusalov Structure of Temperament Questionnaire followed by the assessment of the relationship between temperament types (choleric, sanguine, phlegmatic and melancholic). Psychological defense mechanisms were evaluated with the Life Style Index (LSI). Statistical data processing was provided by means of the Kruskal-Wallis test, Mann-Whitney U-test, and the SPSS Statistics v. 20. Results. This comparative analysis showed that each temperament type was characterized by its dominanting psychological defense mechanisms. In choleric female students, such a primitive mechanism as regression dominated, while displacement was of the least importance in sanguine female students. The level of compensation was of minimal importance for melancholics. In general, regression and displacement were dominating defense mechanisms in female students followed by compensation and projection. The relationship was found between temperament type and psychological defense mechanisms. Conclusion. The results obtained showed that each temperament type was characterized by its dominanting psychological defense mechanisms, which allowed to predict the features of psychological defense in female students depending on their temperament type.