Assignment: Defense Mechanisms “Hi. I’m John, and I’m an addict.” While this might be a cliché attributed to a well-known addiction program, it is true that the first step in treating an addiction is admitting there is a problem. This might seem easy for most, but it is a major acknowledgment for an addict. Addictions serve a purpose in someone’s life, and working to change the addiction means letting go of that purpose. People often hold on to addictions by means of defense mechanisms. Defense mechanisms are a long-standing part of psychology stemming back to the early work of Sigmund Freud. Although many aspects of Freud’s early theories are not a part of modern clinical practice, defense mechanisms are a part of the current vernacular, including addiction treatment. Therefore, understanding defense mechanisms is an important step in providing effective treatment. By Day 7 Submit a 2- to 4-page paper that includes the following: A brief description of two defense mechanisms from the Learning Resources An explanation of how each defense mechanism you chose might impact behavior A description of how each defense mechanism might affect treatment processes, and an explanation of why A description of which stage of change in treatment processes each defense mechanism might manifest in behavior An explanation of why Provide one or two strategies for mitigating them