Defense Mechanisms

Question 1

Acting Out

Answer 1

Avoiding personally unacceptable emotions by behaving in an attention-getting, often socially inappropriate manner

Question 2

Altruism

Answer 2

Assisting others to avoid negative personal feelings

Question 3

Denial

Answer 3

Not accepting aspects of reality that the person finds unbearable

Question 4

Displacement

Answer 4

Moving Emotions from a personally intolerable situation to one that is personally tolerable

Question 5

Dissociation

Answer 5

Mentally separating part of one’s consciousness from real life events or mentally distancing oneself from others

Question 6

Humor

Answer 6

Expressing personally uncomfortable feelings w/o causing emotional discomfort

Question 7

ID

Answer 7

Unconsciously patterning one’s behavior after that of someone more powerful

Question 8

Intellectualization

Answer 8

Using the mind’s higher functions to avoid experiencing emotion

Question 9

Isolation of affect

Answer 9

Failing to experience the feelings associated w/ a stressful life event, although logically understanding the significance of the event

Question 10

Projection

Answer 10

Attributing one’s own personally unacceptable feelings to other

Question 11

Rationalization

Answer 11

Distorting one’s perception of an event so that its negative outcome seems reasonable

Question 12

Reaction formation

Answer 12

Adopting opposite attitudes to avoid personally unacceptable emotions

Question 13

Regression

Answer 13

Reverting to behavior patterns like those seen in someone of a younger age

Question 14

Splitting

Answer 14

Categorizing people or situations into categories of either fabulous or dreadful because of intolerance of ambiguity

Question 15

Sublimation

Answer 15

Expressing personally unacceptable feeling in a socially useful way

Question 16

Suppression

Answer 16

Deliberately pushing personally unacceptable emotions out of conscious awareness

Question 17

Undoing

Answer 17

Believing that one can magically reverse past events caused by incorrect behavior by now adapting correct behavior

Question 18

I can’t stop smoking because I’ll gain weight

Answer 18

Rationalization

Question 19

When I’m sick, I only want to eat junk food

Answer 19

Regression

Question 20

40-yr old man is angry at his wife but does not consciously acknowledge that anger and instead shouts at his children as soon as he returns from work is an example of…

Answer 20

Displacement

Question 21

A 45 year old man who is unconsciously afraid of flying repeatedly states his love of airplanes is an example of…

Answer 21

Reaction formation