<![CDATA[Defense mechanisms are unconscious psychological strategies that individuals use to manage emotional conflict and psychological distress. This study aims to identify the types of defense mechanisms displayed by the main characters in Anthony Sutcliffe’s selected short films based on George E. Vaillant’s hierarchy of defense mechanisms and to analyze how these mechanisms reflect the characters’ psychological transitions. This research employed a qualitative descriptive method. The data were collected from monologue, actions, and visual elements in five selected short films and analyzed using Vaillant’s theory of pathological, immature, neurotic, and mature defense mechanisms. The findings reveal that the characters demonstrate defense mechanisms from all four levels of Vaillant’s hierarchy. Furthermore, the characters experience psychological transitions through changes in their defense mechanisms, although the extent of these changes differs according to the conflicts they face. This study concludes that defense mechanisms serve as important indicators of the characters’ psychological adaptation and emotional development, contributing to a deeper understanding of psychoanalytic criticism in literary and film studies.]]>
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