Abstract
The present study aimed to standerdize a short form of the Japanese translation of the Life Style Index (LSI). LSI was developed by Plutchik, Kellerman, & Conte (1989), in order to measure defense mechanism. In this study, the authors reconsidered LSI as a scale to measure coping styles with underlying defense mechanism. After conducting factorial analysis, 5 factors were extracted, however they were different from those of the original LSI. This may mean that defense mechanism may not be measured objectively, because defense machanism is regarded as unconsious. Meanwhile, the result does not seem to be contradictory to the hypothesis that defense mechanism and coping have similar aspects. Future research on what the standerdized short form of the scale measures means, is necessary in health psychology and psychiatry.
