Question 1

Freud believed that the basic personality is formed:

Accepted Answer

Freud believed that the basic personality is formed before the age of 6 years. He proposed that personality is primarily shaped by early childhood experiences, specifically the conflict between unconscious sexual or aggressive impulses and societal norms and expectations. This conflict, according to Freud, creates different defense mechanisms that shape the individual's personality as they grow and develop. Therefore, the first few years of life are critical in the formation of personality, according to Freud.

Question 2

At work, Matt's boss yelled at him. After Matt got home from work, he went for a five-mile run. Which defense mechanism did Matt use?

Accepted Answer

Matt used sublimation, which involves channeling negative emotions or impulses into a more productive or socially acceptable activity. In this case, he turned his frustration from being yelled at by his boss into a physical activity that would benefit his health.

Question 3

Jeremy, who as a child loved to pull the wings off dead moths and was fascinated by blood and guts, grew up to be a surgeon. His career choice likely represents:

Accepted Answer

Jeremy's fascination with blood and guts as a child can be seen as a primitive form of aggression. However, instead of acting on this aggression in a harmful way, he channeled it into a socially acceptable and productive outlet, becoming a surgeon. This is an example of sublimation, which involves redirecting unacceptable instincts or impulses towards a more socially acceptable goal.

Question 4

When he wears his Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl Champion shirt, Chad feels better able to cope with the day's challenges. Which defense mechanism is Chad using?

Accepted Answer

Identification is when an individual takes on the characteristics of someone they admire or want to be like. In this case, Chad is identifying with the successful Pittsburgh Steelers team, which makes him feel more capable of handling his own challenges.

Question 5

After a stressful day of classes, André was on his way home when a car cut in front of him, almost causing a collision. When he arrived home, André slammed the car door and kicked the tires. What defense mechanism is he using?

Accepted Answer

André is using displacement as a defense mechanism by redirecting his anger and frustration from the near collision towards his car.

Question 6

After earning a low grade on an exam, Barbara came back to the dorm room and watched cartoons for three hours to relieve her stress. Which defense mechanism did Barbara use?

Accepted Answer

Barbara used regression, which is a defense mechanism where a person reverts to an earlier stage of development to cope with a stressful situation. In this case, watching cartoons is a behavior associated with childhood, and therefore, a regression to an earlier stage of development.

Question 7

The finding that homophobic men exhibit more sexual excitement to homosexual activity than men who are not homophobic best illustrates the defense mechanism of:

Accepted Answer

Reaction formation is a defense mechanism where a person expresses the opposite of their unconscious desires. In this case, the homophobic men would have unconscious homosexual desires, and their overtly homophobic attitudes and behaviors are a reaction formation to suppress their own true desires. The finding that these men exhibit more sexual excitement to homosexual activity than non-homophobic men fits with the idea that their unconscious desires are not in line with their conscious attitudes.

Question 8

What defense mechanism is sometimes referred to as "motivated forgetting"?

Accepted Answer

Repression is sometimes referred to as "motivated forgetting" as it involves unconsciously pushing unwanted thoughts or memories out of consciousness in order to avoid anxiety or emotional distress.

Question 9

Freud thought people went through a series of distinct early life stages through which personality was formed. What were these stages called?

Accepted Answer

Freud's theory of personality development is based on the idea that humans go through a series of psychosexual stages during childhood, and that each stage is characterized by a specific focus of pleasure and conflict. These stages are called psychosexual stages of development.

Question 10

Freud stopped having sex with his wife after the birth of their last child, although the couple remained married for many more years. Freud _____ his dysfunctional sex life with his wife by working long hours developing the psychosexual theory of personality development.

Accepted Answer

Freud used sublimation as a defense mechanism to redirect his sexual energy into his work on the psychosexual theory of personality development. This helped him to cope with the conflict he experienced regarding his dysfunctional sex life with his wife. Displacement involves taking out one's frustration or aggression on a substitute target, projection involves attributing one's undesirable qualities to others, and rationalization involves justifying one's behavior with socially acceptable reasons. None of these defense mechanisms fit the situation described in the question as well as sublimation.

Question 11

At work, Christine's boss yelled at her. Christine came home from work and yelled at her kids. Which defense mechanism did Christine use?

Accepted Answer

Displacement is the defense mechanism in which an individual redirects their emotions towards a less threatening target. In this scenario, Christine is unable to express her anger towards her boss and instead channels it towards her children.

Question 12

When her sister was born, 4-year-old Gracie began sucking her thumb again and wanting her mother to rock her. The defense mechanism exemplified here is:

Accepted Answer

Regression is a defense mechanism where an individual reverts to an earlier stage of development in response to stress or anxiety. Here, Gracie is exhibiting this behavior by sucking her thumb again and wanting her mother to provide the same level of comfort she received when she was younger.

Question 13

Defense mechanisms are _____ because they _____.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Defense mechanisms are _____ because they _____.
...

Question 14

According to Freud, a different bodily region dominates the child's subjective experience during each stage of development. He called this region a(n):

Accepted Answer

Freud believed that a different bodily region, which he called an "erotogenic zone," dominates the child's subjective experience during each stage of development. This refers to areas of the body that are particularly sensitive to pleasure and stimulation.

Question 15

Jessica and Ashley are talking about Carla. Jessica says that she does not like Carla because she is loud and annoying. In fact, loud and annoying are adjectives that many people use to describe Jessica. Which defense mechanism is Jessica using?

Accepted Answer

Jessica is using projection, which means that she is attributing her own perceived negative qualities onto someone else. In this case, she is disliking Carla for being loud and annoying, which are qualities that others might attribute to Jessica.

Question 16

Teresa really liked and admired her sister Valerie. Valerie was a very good volleyball player, and Teresa felt that she herself was not very good at volleyball. However, when Teresa played volleyball, she started to act and talk like Valerie. Which defense mechanism did Teresa use when she played volleyball?

Accepted Answer

Teresa is using identification as a defense mechanism by adopting the attitudes and behaviors of her sister to deal with her feelings of insecurity about her own abilities in volleyball.

Question 17

When Lisa received a paper with a D grade, she immediately told her friends (and herself) that it didn't matter because she had intended to drop the course all along. Which defense mechanisms is Lisa using?

Accepted Answer

Lisa is using rationalization to justify her D grade by claiming that she intended to drop the course all along, thereby protecting her ego from the perceived failure.

Question 18

Unconscious coping mechanisms that reduce anxiety generated by threats from unacceptable impulses are called _____ mechanisms.

Accepted Answer

The description matches the concept of defense mechanisms, which operate at an unconscious level to protect the individual from experiencing anxiety or distress related to unacceptable thoughts, feelings, or impulses. These mechanisms can involve distortion, repression, denial, projection, or other strategies to maintain a sense of psychological equilibrium. The other answer options are not accurate or comprehensive enough to fit the given definition.

Question 19

Susan loves her new baby brother, but sometimes she secretly wishes she were still the only child in the family. Which of the following defense mechanisms would she be using if she snuggled him a little too roughly?

Accepted Answer

Susan is likely experiencing a conflict between her love for her new baby brother and her desire for attention and affection from her parents that she may feel she is losing now that the baby is present. This conflict may cause her to unconsciously form a reaction formation, where she expresses the opposite of her true feelings. By snuggling her baby brother roughly, she may be demonstrating an exaggerated love and affection toward him to mask her deeper negative feelings.

Question 20

In junior high school, Tyler really liked Jada and would have liked to date her. Instead, Tyler was mean to Jada and teased her. Which defense mechanism was Tyler using?

Accepted Answer

Tyler was using reaction formation, a defense mechanism where an individual expresses feelings that are the opposite of their unconscious desires. By being mean to Jada, Tyler was concealing his true feelings of affection.

Quiz 12: Section 2: Personality