A five-year-old boy has his first day of kindergarten the next day. The night before his first day, he begins to eat with his hands at the dinner table, cry when his mother won't dress him for bed, suck his thumb, and whine when his mother won't stay with him until he falls asleep. Which of Freud's defense mechanisms best describes this situation?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The boy is displaying regression, a defense mechanism where an individual reverts to earlier stages of development and exhibits behaviors more characteristic of those stages. In this case, the boy is showing behaviors typical of a younger child, likely due to the stress or anxiety of starting kindergarten.

A Five-Year-Old Boy Has His First Day of Kindergarten the Next