Defense Mechanisms

Question 1

A nurse is caring for a client who smokes and has cancer. The client reports, “I’m coughing because I have that cold that everyone has been getting”.

Answer 1

Denial

Question 2

A nurse is counseling a client for the management of anxiety. The client is consistently late for appointments and ignores household chores. The client states, “I’m just too stressed. I need to be taken care of.” The nurse identifies this behavior as an example of what defense mechanism?

Answer 2

Regression

Question 3

A nurse at a college campus mental health counseling center is caring for a student who just failed an examination. The student spends the session berating the teacher and the course. The nurse should recognize this behavior as an example what defense mechanism?

Answer 3

Projection

Question 4

A person having an extramarital affair gives no thought to the possibility of pregnancy.

Answer 4

Denial

Question 5

After breaking up with with her boyfriend of 4 years, Susan curls up in a fetal position and rocks from side to side, refusing to leave the bed.

Answer 5

Regression

Question 6

An individual clearly and confidently communicates their needs, boundaries, or opinions in a respectful manner during a group discussion or decision-making process.

Answer 6

Self-Assertion

Question 7

Due to the pressure of college, Tom starts sucking his thumb - a childhood habit

Answer 7

Regression

Question 8

A school girl wants her mother to buy her the same kind of shoes her classmates are wearing; she angrily rejects the idea that she is trying to be like the other girls and insists that the shoes are truly the best available and are the style she has always wanted.

Answer 8

Identification

Question 9

A married woman who is disturbed by feeling attracted to one of her husband’s friends treats him rudely.

Answer 9

Reaction Formation

Question 10

A man violently dislikes an employee; without being aware of doing so, he “bends over backwards” to not criticize the employee and gives him special privileges and advances.

Answer 10

Reaction Formation

Question 11

A student states, “I failed because my teacher hates me.”

Answer 11

Projection

Question 12

A spouse angry at significant other for not listening, when in fact, it is the individual who is making the accusation who is not listening.

Answer 12

Projection

Question 13

Someone who suffers from OCD and washes his hands in the bathroom sink dozens of times per day for weeks but never cleans the bathroom itself or notices how dirty his bathroom has become over time.

Answer 13

Compartmentalization

Question 14

A person’s treatment for cancer makes him lose his hair so he makes jokes about being bald.

Answer 14

Sublimation/Humor

Question 15

“I had sex with her but I’m devoted to my wife.”

Answer 15

Compartmentalization

Question 16

An older man who was functioning fine, wakes up one day unable to walk after attending his son’s funeral a month prior.

Answer 16

Somatization

Question 17

Two close friends have a violent argument; when they next meet, each acts as if the disagreement had never occurred.

Answer 17

Undoing

Question 18

A person takes time to introspect about their actions, thoughts, and emotions after a challenging situation to gain insights, learn from the experience, and consider how they can improve in the future.

Answer 18

Self-Reflection

Question 19

A husband who showers his wife with roses and chocolates on Valentine’s Day may be unconsciously seeking to undo a year of neglect.

Answer 19

Undoing

Question 20

Using a punching bag to channel angry impulses or becoming active in contact sports (like boxing or football).

Answer 20

Sublimation

Question 21

A sales man is angered by his superior but suppresses his anger; later, on return to his home, he punishes one of his children for misbehavior that would usually be tolerated or ignored.

Answer 21

Displacement

Question 22

Suddenly being dumped by somebody she was really interested in states “I don’t care, I suspected he was a loser all along.”

Answer 22

Rationalization

Question 23

A child who is abused by a parent later has no recollection of the events, but has trouble forming relationships.

Answer 23

Repression

Question 24

When you get mad at your sister, you break your drinking glass by throwing it against the wall.

Answer 24

Displacement

Question 25

“I always study hard for tests and I know a lot of people who cheat so it’s not a big deal if I cheat this time.”

Answer 25

Rationalization

Question 26

A student goes on vacation worried that she may be failing; she decides not to spoil her holiday by thinking of school.

Answer 26

Suppression

Question 27

A woman makes an embarrassing comment at a party; she makes an effort to forget all about it.

Answer 27

Suppression

Question 28

A woman is forced to undertake a restrictive diet; she becomes interested in painting and does a number of still life pictures, most of which include fruit.

Answer 28

Sublimation

Question 29

A young man who did not complete high school becomes a professional body builder.

Answer 29

Compensation

Question 30

A person volunteers at a local homeless shelter regularly, dedicating their time and effort to help those in need without expecting anything in return.

Answer 30

Altruism

Question 31

A youth with residual muscle damage from poliomyelitis becomes an athlete.

Answer 31

Compensation

Question 32

The process of distancing ourselves from a full awareness of unpleasant thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

Answer 32

Defense Mechanisms