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
- _____ 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.
- _____ Soldiers exposed to traumatic experiences in concentration camps
during wartime sometimes have amnesia and are unable to recall any part of
their ordeal.
- _____ 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.
- _____ 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.
- _____ 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.
- _____ 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.
- _____ 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".
- _____ 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.
- _____ 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.
- _____ 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.
- _____ Becky forgot about her dreaded AP statistics exam even though it was
clearly marked on the calendar she looks at every day.
- _____ Twelve-year-old Billy sometimes reacts against the strong sexual
attraction he feels toward girls by becoming a confirmed
"woman-hater".
- _____ Even though Sharla’s boyfriend is an intravenous drug-user, she
doesn’t think she really needs to use condoms when sleeping with him.
- _____ 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.
- _____ Mary, who loves to have people wait on her hand and foot, is quick
to criticize her friends for being dependent and lazy.
- _____ 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.
- _____ 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.
- _____ 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.
- _____ Even though James is 45 years old, whenever he becomes frustrated,
he stomps his feet and yells silly obscenities.
- _____ 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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