AP Psychology - Defense Mechanisms

A woman who witnessed her mother being robbed by a mugger when she was eight years old was very traumatized. As an adult, she does not remember the incident, although she does believe it happened. Freud’s

theory states that she pushed this into her unconscious as a child but that she is not aware of this. Her ego does this to protect her from anxiety and guilt-producing reality.

• Repression

• Displacement

• Sublimation

• Regression

• Reaction Formation

A 40-year-old mother smokes a pack of cigarettes per day and insists that cigarette smoking does not increase her chances of getting lung cancer or heart disease despite overwhelming evidence. Her ego does this to protect her from anxiety and guilt, producing reality.

• Denial

• Rationalization

• Identification

• Projection

• Reaction Formation

A student is angry with his teacher for giving him a bad grade on his paper. He wants to yell at his teacher but is afraid of getting in trouble. He leaves class and shouts angrily at a passerby student (an easy target) who accidentally bumps into him as an unconscious way of releasing his anger.

• Displacement

• Repression

• Sublimation

• Regression

• Reaction Formation

Susie is furious that she did not get the part of Sandy in Grease for her school musical. She hates that Mandy,

who always gets the best parts, will be playing the lead. She cannot stop thinking hateful thoughts about Mandy.

She wants to beat Mandy up, but instead, she lets her anger out by running 4 miles on the treadmill.

• Sublimation

• Regression

• Reaction Formation

• Procrastination

• Projection

After Jorry was rejected by the large university she applied to, she said she did not want to go to such a large school after all, and that community college (that he originally did not like at all ) gave a higher quality education anyway. Which ego defense mechanism is protecting Jorry from anxiety?

• Rationalization

• Denial

• Projection

• Identification

• Procrastination

A woman loses her temper frequently but always says it is because “those stupid people made her do it.” She

always is talking about other people who are stupid and never acknowledges when she herself makes mistakes.

• Projection

• Identification

• Reaction Formation

• Procrastination

• Rationalization

You feel that people should be exceptionally nice to their mothers, but you cannot stand yours. Your ego protects you from your guilt, causing feelings by acting especially nice to your mother as a way of reconciling your negative feelings.

• Reaction Formation

• Procrastination

• Projection

• Identification

• Sublimation

When a new baby arrives in the family, the older child will sometimes cry and demand more attention from the parents and act in ways that would be typical of a much younger child.

• Regression

• Sublimation

• Repression

• Displacement

• Reaction Formation

Susie runs a red light while driving, which makes her unconsciously feel anxious, but she justifies it by saying

that she was already almost through the intersection when the light turned red.

• Rationalization

• Denial

• Projection

• Identification

• Reaction Formation

A college student is attracted to her roommate’s boyfriend but does not like to admit this to herself because it makes her feel anxious because it is wrong. She then instead makes disparaging comments about him and puts him down.

• Reaction Formation

• Procrastination

• Sublimation

• Regression

• Projection