Personality Theory:
Defense Mechanisms I

Name: _______________________

Next to each of the following descriptions, indicate which defense mechanism is illustrated.

        A. Repression                                                       E. Displacement

        B. Regression                                                        F. Sublimation

        C. Reaction Formation                                          G. Projection

        D. Rationalization                                                  H. Denial

  1. _____ Even a top baseball player will sometimes strike out on an easy pitch. When this happens, his next action may be to throw his bat or kick the water cooler.

  2. _____ Soldiers exposed to traumatic experiences in concentration camps during wartime sometimes have amnesia and are unable to recall any part of their ordeal.

  3. _____ The mother of an unwanted child may feel guilty about not feeling unconditional love for that child. As a result, she may try to prove her love by becoming overindulgent and over protective of the child.

  4. _____ Mrs. Brown often accuses other women of talking too much and spreading rumors. It is rather obvious to those who know her that she is revealing her own inclinations in that area.

  5. _____ Carla’s friends have told her that they are concerned about her drug use. Even though Carla uses drugs every day before school (and keeps crystal in her locker in case she starts to feel "down"), she keeps telling herself that her drug use is not a problem.

  6. _____ Paul, an aggressive child, had problems in elementary school, as he would frequently fight with other children. Paul found when he entered high school that he could channel this hostility into sports such as football and soccer.

  7. _____ Kelly, a habitual drinker, insists that he really doesn’t like the taste of alcohol but feels that he is obliged to drink with his friends "just to be sociable".

  8. _____ Mrs. James can’t understand why her husband has been so grumpy and irritable with her all week. It certainly isn’t her fault that he didn’t get his promotion at work.

  9. _____ Tommy used to freak his parents out when he was a kid. He was fascinated with dead animals and used to bring roadkill home and examine it in great detail. Now, (30 years later) Tommy is a world renowned heart surgeon.

  10. _____ Mrs. Janis is always trying to impress her friends by telling them how emotionally strong and independent her teenage son has become. The truth is that whenever her son has a social or emotional problem, he still wants "mommy" to figure things out for him.

  11. _____ Becky forgot about her dreaded AP statistics exam even though it was clearly marked on the calendar she looks at every day.

  12. _____ Twelve-year-old Billy sometimes reacts against the strong sexual attraction he feels toward girls by becoming a confirmed "woman-hater".

  13. _____ Even though Sharla’s boyfriend is an intravenous drug-user, she doesn’t think she really needs to use condoms when sleeping with him.

  14. _____ The majority group in a culture may blame all the various ills of the society on a small minority group. This is a process called "scapegoating" and is a factor in racial and religious prejudice.

  15. _____ Mary, who loves to have people wait on her hand and foot, is quick to criticize her friends for being dependent and lazy.

  16. _____ Mr. Riley suffered serious financial losses while playing the stock market. Upon trading his luxury car in for an older, smaller car, Mr. Riley informed his associates that he bought the cheaper car to do his part in the battle against air pollution.

  17. _____ David Walters recently lost his executive position in a large company. Rather than look for a new job, David spends his time "hitting the bottle" in order to forget about his lost job.

  18. _____ Tory doesn’t like to remember his past (when he was convicted for being a "peeping Tom"). Tory has left his sordid past behind and now is a busy photographer for Playboy magazine.

  19. _____ Even though James is 45 years old, whenever he becomes frustrated, he stomps his feet and yells silly obscenities.

  20. _____ Joan has discovered an amazing coincidence with respect to her school attendance. Every time she has a paper or project due, she sleeps in and misses her bus.
 


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