To overcome the major weakness in the response format of the Defense Mechanisms Inventory and to use the information most relevant to the population concerned in the present study, an alternative form of the Defense Mechanisms Inventory (DMI-AF) was designed. The 80 Likert-scaled items in the inventory were tested among 385 university students in mainland China. Good psychometric data were obtained for the DMI-AF. Although no age difference was found in any of the defense styles, statistically significant differences were discovered in particular defense styles based on gender, academic discipline and social desirability. Both similarities and differences were identified between the present findings and the past findings obtained through using the 200-item Likert-scaled DMI and the 200-item forced-choice DMI. Limitations, significance and practical implications for university education are discussed.