The short version of the Defense Style Questionnaire: factor structure and psychopathological correlates

The Defense Style Questionnaire (DSQ) is a self-report inventory that measures specific defense mechanisms in terms of DSM-III-R concepts. In the present study, normal subjects completed the short version of the DSQ. DSQ scores were then subjected to a factor analysis. This analysis revealed a three-factor solution with immature defenses loading on the first, mature defenses loading on the second, and emotion-avoiding defenses loading on the third factor. In addition, DSQ defense mechanisms were found to explain a significant proportion of the variance of psychopathological symptomatology in normal subjects, even when controlling for the personality factor of neuroticism.