E-ISSN : 2733-4538
The purpose of this study is to validate the Korean version of the Vaillant Defense Mechanism Rating Scale (K-VDMRS). For this purpose, 90 college students (39 men and 51 women) were interviewed for the K-VDMRS. In order to determine criterion-related validity, we administered seven self-report measures: the Korea-Defense Style Questionnaire, the Ewha Defense Mechanisms Test, the Ways of Coping Questionnaire, the Positive Mental Health Scale, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), the Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale (TMAS), and physical health questionnaires. In addition to these self-report measures, close acquaintances recommended by the participants rated the subjects’ psychological maturity. The results of this study are as follows. First, when we divided the positive mental health types into flourishing, languishing, struggling, and maladaptation groups, there were group differences only at the level of immature defenses. The languishing group used more immature defenses than the other groups. Second, those with high level of depression used more immature defenses than those with low level of depression. Third, according to the correlation analysis results of K-VDMRS and acquaintance rating, the more mature the defenses used by the participants, the more mature they were rated in the acquaintance evaluation. Finally, the defense maturity rated by the K-VDMRS showed higher criterion-related validity and discriminant validity for mental health variables, physical health, and acquaintance evaluation than the self-report measures of defense mechanisms and coping style. Based on these findings, we discussed the implications and limitations of this study.
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