An Increase in Early Adolescent Undercontrol Is Associated With the Use of Denial

This is a longitudinal study of change in undercontrol and its relation to the use of defense mechanisms with participants from the Berkeley Guidance Study of the Institute of Human Development, University of California, Berkeley. I predicted that use of the immature defense of Denial, but not Projection or Identification, would be related at early adolescence to an increase in undercontrol as assessed from 2 independent measures. The assessment of Ego Undercontrol indicated that the majority of children decreased with age, but for those who increased at early adolescence, the increase was significantly related to the use of Denial. Similarly, assessment of Externalizing Behavior Problems at early adolescence indicated that an increase in Externalizing Problems was related to the use of Denial. In addition to indicating psychological immaturity, the use of Denial prevents these children from recognizing the negative impact of their undercontrolled behavior.