There are very few works not associated with the Western canon to have received as much attention as Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart (Ogbaa 1). However, contrary to the many post-colonial interpretations of this novel, this essay employs a psychoanalytical literary approach to discuss the cause of the protagonist’s eventual demise, based on the premise that human behaviour is driven by an unconscious process. Consequently, this essay argues that following the ego’s inability to repress the infantile demands of the unconscious, the preconscious and the conscious self, ever more compulsive, repetitive and neurotic behaviours are displayed. Furthermore, this essay argues that Okonkwo’s relationship to his mother plays a significant role in explaining the tense relationship with his own father and sons. Subsequently, the protagonist’s self-confidence turns to pride and his masculinity develops into totalitarian rule leading to uncontrollable rage, Okonkwo’s world literally falls apart.

Background: The nurse is responsible for all care concerning the patient. The care must be person-centered with a focus on the creation of interpersonal relationships. With sympathy for the patient, the relationship can become more meaningful and humor is allowed to be introduced. Can humor be a contributing factor to a more beneficial care? Aim: The purpose was to describe how humor can be used in nursing in the relationship between nurse and patient. Method: A literature review where we examined 13 qualitative and quantitative research articles published between the years of 2000-2021. These were analyzed with thematic analysis. Results: Five main themes were identified for the results, which were: relationship building, humor as a tool, individuality, humor as a management strategy and a feeling of context. The main themes were divided into eight subthemes. All of these themes were based on the use of humor. The results showed that the use of humor facilitated the lives of patients, reduced their anxiety and gave them a sense of maintained quality of life despite the circumstances they faced. Conclusion: Humor has proven helpful for most purposes in a caring situation, for both patients and nursing staff. Given individual factors and how they affect how humor is received, the phenomenon would be valuable to be able to take part of already in the basic education for nurses.

Salicylic Acid (SA) is an important plant hormone which acts as a therapeutic agent in the plant in response to biotic and abiotic stress. It plays a significant role in growth and development. SABP2, a methyl salicylate esterase is a key player in SA mediated defense signaling. It catalyzes the conversion of mobile methyl salicylate to salicylic acid. During infection, accumulation of salicylic acid in the distal organ in response to the primary infection elsewhere primes the plant to defend against subsequent infection by the mechanism known as Systemic Acquired Resistance (SAR). SIP68, one of the interacting proteins of SABP2 is a glucosyltransferase protein. Glucosyltransferase protein catalyzes the formation of the glycosidic bond by transferring glucose molecule from donor to acceptor molecules. Plant glucosyltransferase is widely distributed in nature playing the dual role of activating and inactivating enzymes. They are also associated with changing the protein stability and solubility of compounds. Since SABP2 has a role in SA mediated defense signaling and glucosyltransferase proteins are associated with physiological function thus, there is a possibility of SIP68 associated with the major or supportive role in either or both functions. The purified recombinant SIP68 protein was tested for glucosyltransferase activity using radioactive method. The purified SIP68 glucosylates various artificially available flavonoid compounds with highest activity detected with Kaempferol (flavonol) followed by quercetin but negligible activity with SA. HPLC based glucosyltransferase assay further verified SIP68 as a flavonoid UDP-glucosyltransferase, not SA glucosyltransferase. Our interest is to further characterize SIP68 and assess its role in plant defense mechanism. Knowing its expression pattern inside plant cell will help us to assess its activity pattern inside the cell. For this enhanced Green Fluorescent Protein (eGFP) tagged SIP68 was transiently expressed inside the plant cell. Confocal microscopy imaging suggests SIP68 likely to be localized in the cytoplasm which will be further confirmed by subcellular fractionation. To assess the role of SIP68 in plant defense mechanism transgenic line expressing altered SIP68 gene was generated using CRISPR Cas9 technique. Verified transgenic line challenged under different biotic and abiotic stress will help us to understand the role of SIP68 in plant defense mechanism. Our research will help us to understand defense mechanism in tobacco model system enabling us to use the knowledge to develop the resistant varieties of crops that are capable of withstanding the adverse condition of pathogenic as well environmental challenges.

Austropuccinia psidii, the causal agent of myrtle rust, is a biotrophic pathogen, and therefore its growth and development depend on the host tissues. The uredospores of A. psidii infect Eucalyptus by engaging in close contact with the host surface and interacting with the leaf cuticle that provides important chemical and physical signals to trigger the infection process. Due to the inherent characteristics of the Eucalyptus cuticle, it was hypothesized that the preformed mechanism, comprised mostly by cuticular waxes, plays a crucial role in Eucalyptus resistance against A. psidii and its ability to modulate the expression of genes associated to the pathogenicity of A. psidii during the early stage of infection. In chapter 2, the cuticular waxes of Eucalyptus spp. were analyzed to determine their composition or structure and then correlated to susceptibility/resistance to Austropuccinia psidii. Twenty-one Eucalyptus spp. in the field were classified as resistant or susceptible. From these, the resistance/susceptibility level of six Eucalyptus spp. was evaluated in controlled conditions using qPCR, revealing that the pathogen can germinate on the eucalyptus surface of some species without multiplying in the host. CG-TOF-MS analysis detected 26 compounds in the Eucalyptus spp. cuticle and led to the discovery of the role of hexadecanoic acid in the susceptibility of E. grandis and E. phaeotricha to A. psidii. The scanning electron microscopy check revealed differences in A. psidii germination during host infection. It was found a correlation between epicuticular morphology and the resistance to A. psidii. In chapter 3, we investigated gene expression of A. psidii through bioassays in vitro containing cuticular waxes from E. grandis (E. g), E. urograndis (E. ug) and E. urophylla (E. u). Mineral oil (MO) treatment was used to all comparative analysis (negative control). The presence of cuticular waxes from E. g induced the expression of genes encoding proteins related to growth and colonization of A. psidii such as binding proteins (peptidylprolyl isomerase and ribosomal) and cell wall degrading proteins (beta-xylanase). However, other pathogenic proteins were repressed in presence of cuticular wax of E. g, for instance, triosephosphate isomerase, family 18 glycoside hydrolase, mitochondrial ATP carrier, and glutamine-dependent NAD synthetase. The E. ug x MO analysis resulted in DEGs associated with proteins related to membrane transporters and receptors, DNA repair and glycine dehydrogenase. As to the cuticular wax of E. u, it up-regulated the expression of genes encoding proteins associated with pheromone, cutinases, and prefoldin. Thus, for the first time, it was demonstrated a considerable interspecific variation in Eucalyptus species on the susceptibility to A. psidii and its correlation with cuticular waxes chemical compounds that seem to play a synergistic role as a preformed defense mechanism. We also demonstrated that Eucalyptus spp. cuticular waxes may modulate the A. psidii gene expression, suggesting the importance of early plant-pathogen molecular interaction to the development of myrtle rust. / Austropuccinia psidii é o agente causal da ferrugem das mirtáceas com crescimento biotrófico, ou seja, o patógeno depende dos tecidos do hospedeiro para crescer e se desenvolver. Os uredósporos de A. psidii infectam Eucalyptus por meio do contato inicial com a superfície do hospedeiro e também pela interação com a cutícula da folha que por sua vez fornece importantes sinais químicos e físicos capaz de desencadear o processo de infecção. Devido às características inerentes à cutícula de Eucalyptus, consideramos as hipóteses de que o mecanismo pré-formado, composto principalmente pelas ceras cuticulares, desempenha um papel crucial na resistência de Eucalyptus spp. contra A. psidii, e, também, é capaz de modular a expressão fúngica de genes associados a patogenicidade durante o estágio inicial de infecção de A. psidii. No capítulo 2, as ceras cuticulares de Eucalyptus spp. foram analisadas para determinar a composição/estrutura e sua correlação com suscetibilidade/resistência de A. psidii. Vinte e uma espécies de Eucalyptus foram classificadas em campo como resistentes ou suscetíveis. A análise de qPCR de seis Eucalyptus spp. revelou que o patógeno pode germinar na superfície de algumas espécies de eucaliptos sem se multiplicar no tecido hospedeiro. Foram identificados 26 compostos presentes na cutícula de Eucalyptus spp. e descobrimos o papel do ácido hexadecanóico na suscetibilidade de E. grandis e E. phaeotricha à ferrugem. Por meio da microscopia eletrônica de varredura encontramos uma correlação entre a morfologia epicuticular e a resistência contra A. psidii. No capítulo 3 para compreender a expressão gênica de A. psidii realizamos bioensaios (in vitro) contendo as ceras cuticulares de E. grandis (E. g), E. urograndis (E. ug) e E. urophylla (E. u). O tratamento com óleo mineral (MO) foi utilizado em todas as análises comparativas como controle negativo. A presença de ceras cuticulares de E. g induziu a expressão de genes que codificam proteínas relacionadas ao crescimento e colonização de A. psidii, como proteínas de ligação (peptidylprolyl isomerase e ribosomal) e proteínas de degradação da parede celular (beta xilanase). No entanto, outras proteínas patogênicas foram reprimidas na presença da cera cuticular de E. g, por exemplo, triosephosphate isomerase, family 18 glycoside hydrolase, mitochondrial ATP carrier e glutamine-dependent NAD synthetase. A análise de E. ug x MO resultou na ativação de proteínas associadas a transportadores e receptores de membrana, reparo de DNA e glycine dehydrogenase. Já a cera cuticular de E. u induziu a expressão de genes que codificam proteínas associadas a feromônios, cutinases e prefoldin. Pela primeira vez, está sendo apresentado a considerável variação interespecífica em espécies de Eucalyptus quanto à suscetibilidade a ferrugem, e, sua correlação com os compostos químicos de ceras cuticulares, os quais parecem ser um importante mecanismo de defesa pré-formado. Também foi revelado que as ceras cuticulares de Eucalyptus spp. são capazes de modular a expressão gênica de A. psidii, evidenciando o papel da interação molecular planta-patógeno precoce no desenvolvimento da ferrugem das mirtáceas.

This thesis aimed to examine the process of projective identification in the couple relationship by focusing on two areas of investigation: Firstly, how projective identification operates &ldquo / within&rdquo / an individual regarding the associations among early parenting experiences, personality and couple relationship / secondly how projective identification operates between two partners in the couple relationship regarding partners&rsquo / similarities and complementarities have been focused. Initially, several multiple regressions were run to examine the relationships among the parenting, personality and couple relationship. Afterwards, several intra-class partial pairwise correlatons were conducted to reveal similarities and complementarities of the partners regarding their early maladaptive parenting experiences, personality constructs and couple relationship variables. Paulson Daily Living Inventory, Separation-Individuation Inventory and Splitting Scale were translated into Turkish and psychometric studies were conducted. For the main study, 356 participants (178 male and 178 female), who are cohabiting partners to each other, were achieved through snowball sampling method. Early maladaptive parenting experiences of the participants were examined by Young Parenting Inventory. Personality constructs contained &ldquo / separation individuation process&rdquo / and &ldquo / splitting defense&rdquo / as the theoretical correlates of projective identification, and &ldquo / early maladaptive schemas&rdquo / of the individuals. Couple relationship variables were &ldquo / relationship satisfaction&rdquo / , &ldquo / emotional dependency&rdquo / and &ldquo / jealousy&rdquo / . Findings of the study revealed that projective identification has bidirectional relatedness with the personality and couple relationship of the individual. Multiple regression analyses showed theoretically consistent associations among an individual&rsquo / s parenting experiences, personality and couple relationship. Intra-class partial pairwise correlations showed similarities and complementarities between two partners. Findings were discussed in the light of relevant literature.

<p>Diss. (sammanfattning) Umeå : Umeå universitet, 1998, Härtill 4 uppsatser.</p> / digitalisering@umu

Os mecanismos de defesa representam uma dimensão importante da estrutura da personalidade e do funcionamento psicodinâmico, sendo uma das formas de medir como o indivíduo habitualmente responde aos estressores. O estudo dos mecanismos de defesa utilizados por pacientes com Transtorno do Pânico (TP) pode ter utilidade no entendimento e no tratamento desse transtorno. O objetivo deste trabalho é o de avaliar os mecanismos de defesa do ego, nos pacientes com TP, e sua associação com gravidade, resposta ao tratamento e alteração pós tratamento. Sessenta pacientes com TP e 31 controles participaram da primeira fase do trabalho. O Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview foi usado para confirmar o diagnóstico de TP e estabelecer o diagnóstico de co-morbidades. A Impressão Clínica Global (CGI) foi usada para avaliar a gravidade do TP e o Defense Style Questionnaire (DSQ-40) foi usado para avaliar os mecanismos de defesa. Em uma segunda etapa, 33 pacientes com TP sintomáticos e 33 voluntários normais foram avaliados com os mesmos instrumentos, aplicados no início do estudo e após 16 semanas. Os pacientes receberam durante esse período tratamento farmacológico com sertralina. Ambos os estudos demonstraram que pacientes com TP utilizam mais defesas neuróticas e imaturas comparados ao grupo controle. Os pacientes com pânico grave (CGI>4) apresentaram maior co-morbidade com depressão atual e usaram mais defesas imaturas do que os pacientes com CGI< 4 (média=4.2 vs. 3.5; p<0.001). Após 4 meses de tratamento, houve diminuição no uso de defesas neuróticas (4.6 vs. 4.2; p=0.049) e imaturas (3.6 vs. 3.4 p=0.035) no grupo de pacientes. Pacientes que usavam mais defesas neuróticas e imaturas apresentaram pior resposta ao tratamento. Pacientes com TP usaram mais defesas mal-adaptativas quando comparados ao grupo controle, no basal e após 4 meses. O uso de defesas neuróticas e imaturas está associado à gravidade do TP e à pior resposta ao tratamento. Os mecanismos de defesa são, então, parte de uma maneira estável do indivíduo lidar com conflitos, mas também são influenciados pelo estado agudo da doença. / This study aims at evaluating the defense mechanisms most frequently used by Brazilian patients with panic disorder when compared to a control group as well as at examining the association between severity of disease and co morbidity and the use of specific defense mechanisms. Sixty panic disordered patients and thirty-one controls participated in the study. The Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview was used to confirm the panic disorder diagnosis and to establish the co morbid diagnosis. The Clinical Global Impression (CGI) was used to assess severity and the Defensive Style Questionnaire (DSQ-40) was used to evaluate the defense mechanisms. Panic patients used more neurotic (mean=4.9 vs. 3.6; p<0,001) and immature (mean=3.9 vs. 2.8; p< 0,001) defenses as compared to controls. Panic patients with severe disease (n=37; CGI>4) had more depression co morbidity and used more immature defenses than patients with CGI<4 (n=23; mean=4.2 vs. 3.5; p<0.001). It was concluded that the Panic severity and depression co morbidity found in Brazilian panic disordered patients are associated with the use of maladaptive mechanisms, namely immature defenses.

Os mecanismos de defesa representam uma dimensão importante da estrutura da personalidade e do funcionamento psicodinâmico, sendo uma das formas de medir como o indivíduo habitualmente responde aos estressores. O estudo dos mecanismos de defesa utilizados por pacientes com Transtorno do Pânico (TP) pode ter utilidade no entendimento e no tratamento desse transtorno. O objetivo deste trabalho é o de avaliar os mecanismos de defesa do ego, nos pacientes com TP, e sua associação com gravidade, resposta ao tratamento e alteração pós tratamento. Sessenta pacientes com TP e 31 controles participaram da primeira fase do trabalho. O Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview foi usado para confirmar o diagnóstico de TP e estabelecer o diagnóstico de co-morbidades. A Impressão Clínica Global (CGI) foi usada para avaliar a gravidade do TP e o Defense Style Questionnaire (DSQ-40) foi usado para avaliar os mecanismos de defesa. Em uma segunda etapa, 33 pacientes com TP sintomáticos e 33 voluntários normais foram avaliados com os mesmos instrumentos, aplicados no início do estudo e após 16 semanas. Os pacientes receberam durante esse período tratamento farmacológico com sertralina. Ambos os estudos demonstraram que pacientes com TP utilizam mais defesas neuróticas e imaturas comparados ao grupo controle. Os pacientes com pânico grave (CGI>4) apresentaram maior co-morbidade com depressão atual e usaram mais defesas imaturas do que os pacientes com CGI< 4 (média=4.2 vs. 3.5; p<0.001). Após 4 meses de tratamento, houve diminuição no uso de defesas neuróticas (4.6 vs. 4.2; p=0.049) e imaturas (3.6 vs. 3.4 p=0.035) no grupo de pacientes. Pacientes que usavam mais defesas neuróticas e imaturas apresentaram pior resposta ao tratamento. Pacientes com TP usaram mais defesas mal-adaptativas quando comparados ao grupo controle, no basal e após 4 meses. O uso de defesas neuróticas e imaturas está associado à gravidade do TP e à pior resposta ao tratamento. Os mecanismos de defesa são, então, parte de uma maneira estável do indivíduo lidar com conflitos, mas também são influenciados pelo estado agudo da doença. / This study aims at evaluating the defense mechanisms most frequently used by Brazilian patients with panic disorder when compared to a control group as well as at examining the association between severity of disease and co morbidity and the use of specific defense mechanisms. Sixty panic disordered patients and thirty-one controls participated in the study. The Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview was used to confirm the panic disorder diagnosis and to establish the co morbid diagnosis. The Clinical Global Impression (CGI) was used to assess severity and the Defensive Style Questionnaire (DSQ-40) was used to evaluate the defense mechanisms. Panic patients used more neurotic (mean=4.9 vs. 3.6; p<0,001) and immature (mean=3.9 vs. 2.8; p< 0,001) defenses as compared to controls. Panic patients with severe disease (n=37; CGI>4) had more depression co morbidity and used more immature defenses than patients with CGI<4 (n=23; mean=4.2 vs. 3.5; p<0.001). It was concluded that the Panic severity and depression co morbidity found in Brazilian panic disordered patients are associated with the use of maladaptive mechanisms, namely immature defenses.

Submitted by Rodrigo Caetano Andreu null (caetano_andreu@yahoo.com.br) on 2017-04-03T19:56:49Z No. of bitstreams: 1 dissertação final.pdf: 714057 bytes, checksum: 210f91ba881a4c7ae5159af3a3b03a74 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luiz Galeffi (luizgaleffi@gmail.com) on 2017-04-11T20:37:58Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 andreu_rc_me_sjrp.pdf: 714057 bytes, checksum: 210f91ba881a4c7ae5159af3a3b03a74 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-04-11T20:37:58Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 andreu_rc_me_sjrp.pdf: 714057 bytes, checksum: 210f91ba881a4c7ae5159af3a3b03a74 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-02-23 / Este trabalho consiste no estudo do trabalho de análise e interpretação proposto por Walter Benjamin no seu projetado livro Charles Baudelaire, um poeta na época do capitalismo avançado, especificamente no capítulo "Sobre alguns motivos na obra de Baudelaire", em que a criação poética é destacada como mecanismo de defesa. Na interpretação de Benjamin, o poeta Baudelaire, ao se sentir ameaçado e constrangido pelas adversidades repressivas do corpo social, defende-se na e com a poesia que escreve. Nesse âmbito, o próprio poeta se intitula um “esgrimista”, que se utiliza do seu material de trabalho, o lápis e a caneta, como armas de defesa no duelo contra os percalços externos de uma sociedade que sofreu com as contradições pós-revolução industrial, principalmente no que diz respeito à exploração da força de trabalho dos empregados das indústrias e suas consequências sociais. Tal interpretação resultou na formulação do conceito de experiência de choque, de que nos valemos como medium de reflexão para compreender outra: a análise benjaminiana da experiência anterior e posterior ao excesso de estímulos sofridos pelo homem da modernidade. Tendo por base essa perspectiva, também investigamos a criação poética a partir da relação existente entre a poeticidade de Baudelaire e a tese freudiana, vinculada à psicanálise, cuja principal premissa é a existência de um mecanismo de defesa por parte da consciência humana em face aos estímulos externos e internos. Com isso, entendemos a maneira como Benjamim encarou a composição de Charles Baudelaire em todas as nuances da estruturação psicológica do indivíduo. Dentro dessa proposta, os instrumentos teóricos essenciais à realização da pesquisa estão ligados, de um modo geral, às relações que se estabelecem entre a criação poética, a análise histórica concomitante à vida do poeta e aspectos pontuais da teoria freudiana e de seus seguidores sobre os mecanismos de defesa. Assim, notamos que o projetado livro de Walter Benjamin, com sua estilística interpretativa própria e inovadora, perpassa as mais distintas faces da modernidade, possibilitando uma crítica pautada na percepção e compreensão da realidade pelas lentes das vertentes sociológica e psicanalítica. / This work consist in the work of analysis and interpretation propost for Walter Benjamin, in your project book Charles Baudelaire a poet in advanced capitalism, specifically in chapter about some reasons in the work of Baudelaire, in which the poetic creation is highlighted as defense mechanisms. To Benjamin, when he feels threatened and uncomfortable for adversid repressive of body social, Baudelaire defends himself with his poetry whos writes. In this context on poet himself is called a “fencer” which uses the work material, pencil and pen as defensive weapons in the duel against external mishaps of a society that suffered from post industrial revolution contradictions, mainly in what respect of exploration of the force to work of employees of industries and yours consequences social. Such interpretation resulted in formulation concept of shock experience that we will use as a medium of reflection to understand another: benjaminian analysis of previous experience and after the excess stimuli suffered by the man in modernity. Based on this perspective also investigate the poetic creation from the relationship between will psychoanalysis, whose main premise is the existence of a defense mechanism of the human consciousness in college to external stimuli and internal. We understand the way Benjamin stared at Charles Baudelaire composition in all the nuances of the individual psychological structure. In this proposal, essences theoretical tools will carry out the research are linked, in general, ace relations established between the poetic creation, historical concomitant analysis of the poet´s life and specific aspects of Freud´s theory and his followers on the defense mechanism. Thus we note that the book Walter Benjamin: Charles Baudelaire a poet in advanced capitalism, with its own innovative interpretive stylistic runs through the most different faces of modernity, allowing a critical guided by the reality show through the lens of the sociological and psychoanalyst aspects.

Os mecanismos de defesa representam uma dimensão importante da estrutura da personalidade e do funcionamento psicodinâmico, sendo uma das formas de medir como o indivíduo habitualmente responde aos estressores. O estudo dos mecanismos de defesa utilizados por pacientes com Transtorno do Pânico (TP) pode ter utilidade no entendimento e no tratamento desse transtorno. O objetivo deste trabalho é o de avaliar os mecanismos de defesa do ego, nos pacientes com TP, e sua associação com gravidade, resposta ao tratamento e alteração pós tratamento. Sessenta pacientes com TP e 31 controles participaram da primeira fase do trabalho. O Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview foi usado para confirmar o diagnóstico de TP e estabelecer o diagnóstico de co-morbidades. A Impressão Clínica Global (CGI) foi usada para avaliar a gravidade do TP e o Defense Style Questionnaire (DSQ-40) foi usado para avaliar os mecanismos de defesa. Em uma segunda etapa, 33 pacientes com TP sintomáticos e 33 voluntários normais foram avaliados com os mesmos instrumentos, aplicados no início do estudo e após 16 semanas. Os pacientes receberam durante esse período tratamento farmacológico com sertralina. Ambos os estudos demonstraram que pacientes com TP utilizam mais defesas neuróticas e imaturas comparados ao grupo controle. Os pacientes com pânico grave (CGI>4) apresentaram maior co-morbidade com depressão atual e usaram mais defesas imaturas do que os pacientes com CGI< 4 (média=4.2 vs. 3.5; p<0.001). Após 4 meses de tratamento, houve diminuição no uso de defesas neuróticas (4.6 vs. 4.2; p=0.049) e imaturas (3.6 vs. 3.4 p=0.035) no grupo de pacientes. Pacientes que usavam mais defesas neuróticas e imaturas apresentaram pior resposta ao tratamento. Pacientes com TP usaram mais defesas mal-adaptativas quando comparados ao grupo controle, no basal e após 4 meses. O uso de defesas neuróticas e imaturas está associado à gravidade do TP e à pior resposta ao tratamento. Os mecanismos de defesa são, então, parte de uma maneira estável do indivíduo lidar com conflitos, mas também são influenciados pelo estado agudo da doença. / This study aims at evaluating the defense mechanisms most frequently used by Brazilian patients with panic disorder when compared to a control group as well as at examining the association between severity of disease and co morbidity and the use of specific defense mechanisms. Sixty panic disordered patients and thirty-one controls participated in the study. The Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview was used to confirm the panic disorder diagnosis and to establish the co morbid diagnosis. The Clinical Global Impression (CGI) was used to assess severity and the Defensive Style Questionnaire (DSQ-40) was used to evaluate the defense mechanisms. Panic patients used more neurotic (mean=4.9 vs. 3.6; p<0,001) and immature (mean=3.9 vs. 2.8; p< 0,001) defenses as compared to controls. Panic patients with severe disease (n=37; CGI>4) had more depression co morbidity and used more immature defenses than patients with CGI<4 (n=23; mean=4.2 vs. 3.5; p<0.001). It was concluded that the Panic severity and depression co morbidity found in Brazilian panic disordered patients are associated with the use of maladaptive mechanisms, namely immature defenses.