AP Psychology Defense Mechanisms
reaction formation
A student is attracted to her roommate's boyfriend but does not like to admit this to herself because it makes her feel anxious because it is wrong. She then instead makes disparaging comments about him and puts him down.
rationalization
After Jorry was rejected by the large university she applied to, she said she did not want to go to such a large school after all and that community college (that he originally did not like at all ) gave a higher quality education anyway. Which ego defense mechanism is protecting Jorry from anxiety?
sublimation
After an unsuccessful attempt at a romantic relationship a young man was very angry but chose to devote most of his time and energy to activities related to his hobbies.
projection
"the thief thinks everyone else is a thief" (an El Salvadorian saying)
displacement
A student is angry with his teacher for giving him a bad grade on his paper. He wants to yell at his teacher but is afraid of getting in trouble. He leaves class and shouts angrily at a passerby student (an easy target) and then "accidentally" bumps into him as an unconscious way of releasing his anger.
denial
A 40 year old mother smokes a pack of cigarettes per day and insists that cigarette smoking does not increase her chances of getting lung cancer or heart disease despite overwhelming evidence. Her ego does this to protect her from an anxiety and guilt producing reality.
rationalization
A college student who failed her geometry test said she did so NOT because she did not study, but because the test was full of trick questions.
regression
A man has just been reprimanded by his supervisor. Later on, he begins to "stomp around" and throws a tantrum in front of his co-workers. His ego is attempting to deal with his anxiety and aggression by retreating to behaviors more appropriate for an earlier age range.
sublimation
A man who has inappropriate aggressive wishes to smother people until they pass out is unconsciously drawn to a career as an anesthesiologist because it is an acceptable outlet his ego has found for his inappropriate aggressive drives.
denial
A sixteen year old has started using drugs heavily. The changes in his behavior are very obvious (photos of him using were on Facebook and the school found drugs in his locker, car, and backpack), but his parents do not believe there son uses drugs at all. They refuse to even discuss the possibility when the school calls to let them know what was found. Which defense mechanism are the parents using?
repression
A student forgot that she had a major economics midterm that she was terrified about and was surprised when her teacher handed out the exam. This is unusual because she wrote it in her assignment notebook and the teacher had it written on the board. Freud would say the student forgot about the test because the anxiety caused by her fear led her to put the memory in her unconscious.
displacement
A teenage girl has a fight with her parents and leaves the house. She wants to respond aggressively to her parents but cannot for fear of retribution. She decides to go or a drive and ends up cutting someone off in traffic while making an obscene gesture at the other driver. Freud would say she does this because the anonymous driver is a safe target for her pent up unconscious aggression.
projection
A woman is always accusing other people of being terrible drivers, but in reality she has had several small accidents and numerous tickets and her friends are afraid to drive with her. She reduces her bad feelings about her own bad driving by accusing others.
projection
A woman is strongly attracted to one of the men she works with. However, her coworker is married. To deal with the anxiety that her feelings have generated, she has unconsciously convinced herself that her coworker is attracted to her.
projection
A woman loses her temper frequently but always says it is because "those stupid people made her do it". She always is talking about other people who are stupid and never acknowledges when she herself makes mistakes.
rationalization
A woman lost over $10,000 on some bad investments in the stock market. Consequently she had to trade her Cadillac for a smaller, more economical car. However, she tells all her coworkers that she made the switch to do her part to stop pollution. She may be unconsciously dealing with her guilt and anxiety over the stock market losses using the defense mechanism of:
repression
A woman who witnessed her mother being robbed by a mugger when she was eight years old was very traumatized. As an adult she does not remember the incident, although she does believe it happened. Freud's theory states that she pushed this into her unconscious as a child but that she is not aware of this. Her ego does this to protect her from an anxiety and guilt producing reality.
identification
Having a rather poor sense of self worth, a man attempts to make himself feel important by driving a European sports car like his favorite hip hop star and belonging to an exclusive tennis club.
procrastination
Mrs. Smith carried a note in her purse for weeks. The note was sent to her from her dentist reminding her to make an appointment. Not wanting to face the anxiety of the dentist, she never got around to making the appointment. Every time she sees the reminder on her refrigerator she says she will make the appointment later.
repression
Which defense mechanism is considered to be the most important because it underlies others?
regression
Renaldo has had a very upsetting and stressful day. When he finally arrives home he goes to sleep with his childhood security blanket curled up in a fetal position.
sublimation
Susie is furious that she did not get the part of Sandy in Grease for her school musical. She hates that Mandy, who always gets the best parts, will be playing the lead. She cannot stop thinking hateful thoughts about Mandy. She wants to beat Mandy up, but instead she lets her anger out by running 4 miles on the treadmill.
rationalization
Susie runs a red light while driving which makes her unconsciously feel anxious, but she justifies it by saying that she was already almost through the intersection when the light turned red.
regression
When a new baby arrives in the family, the older child will sometimes cry and demand more attention from the parents and act in ways that would be typical of a much younger child.
identification
Without even being aware of it a college soccer player copies the body language, mode of dress and speech patterns of his famous coach. Unconsciously he does not feel good about himself and to protect his ego he is aligning himself with someone who is successful.
reaction formation
You feel that people should be exceptionally nice to their mothers, but you cannot stand yours. Your ego protects you from your guilt causing feelings by acting especially nice to your mother as a way of reconciling your negative feelings.
rationalization
a habitual drinker says she drink with her friends "just to be sociable"
regression
a little boy reverts to the oral comfort of thumb sucking in the car on his way to his first day of school
displacement
a little girl kicks the family dog after her mother sends her to her room
sublimation
a man with aggressive urges becomes a surgeon
denial
a partner denies evidence of his loved one's affair
projection
disguising one's own threatening impulses by attributing them to others
rationalization
offering self-justifying explanations in place of the real, more threatening unconscious reasons for one's actions
denial
refusing to believe or even perceive painful realities
reaction formation
repressing angry feelings, a person displays exaggerated friendliness
regression
retreating to a more infantile psychosexual stage, where some psychic energy remains fixated
displacement
shifting sexual or aggressive impulses toward a more acceptable or less threatening object or person
reaction formation
switching unacceptable impulses into their opposites
sublimation
transferring of unacceptable impulses into socially valued motives
