Questions and Answers
What defense mechanism is characterized by expressing emotional conflicts through physical symptoms?
Which defense mechanism involves refusing to acknowledge the reality of a painful situation?
What is the key characteristic of the fixation defense mechanism?
Which defense mechanism involves redirecting emotions from a threatening target to a less threatening one?
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Which mechanism involves adopting the attitudes and beliefs of another person?
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What does regression involve?
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Which defense mechanism involves acting in a manner opposite to one's feelings?
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Which mechanism is used to excuse one's behavior to avoid feelings of guilt or responsibility?
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In which defense mechanism might an individual forget about a traumatic event?
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Which defense mechanism involves separating emotions from facts in a painful situation?
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Study Notes
Ego Defense Mechanisms
- Compensation: Achieving success in one area to counteract shortcomings in another, such as a small person gaining power or skills in an unrelated field.
- Conversion: Transforming emotional conflicts into physical symptoms, often without concern for the symptoms, like a teenager going blind due to restricted desires.
- Denial: Refusal to acknowledge the reality of difficult situations, exemplified by someone with diabetes indulging in sweets or overspending despite financial struggles.
- Displacement: Redirecting emotions towards a safer target; for instance, an individual angry at their boss lashes out at family members.
- Dissociation: Temporarily detaching from reality or one's identity in response to trauma, such as an adult not recalling childhood abuse or recent accidents.
- Fixation: Stagnation at a particular developmental stage resulting in difficulties like inability to delay gratification or adult identity confusion.
- Identification: Emulating the behaviors or beliefs of role models in an effort to shape one’s identity or achieve personal goals.
- Intellectualization: Focusing on the factual aspects of a distressing situation while separating oneself emotionally, such as discussing a car accident without showing feelings.
- Introjection: Integrating another person’s beliefs and values into one’s own psyche, demonstrated when someone adopts hobbies of a close friend despite initial aversion.
- Projection: Unconsciously attributing one’s unacceptable thoughts or feelings onto others, such as someone with same-gender attractions expressing aggression toward gay individuals.
- Rationalization: Justifying one's actions to evade feelings of guilt or responsibility, for example, a student blaming academic failures on unfavorable teaching.
- Reaction Formation: Behaving contrary to one's true feelings, more prominently illustrated by someone adopting outwardly positive behaviors despite internal conflicts.
- Regression: Reverting to earlier stages of development to reclaim comfort or attention, like a child requesting a bottle or an adult sulking for engagement.
- Repression: Keeping distressing thoughts and feelings out of conscious awareness, such as an individual lacking memory of a traumatic event.
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Description
Test your understanding of various ego defense mechanisms in psychology. This quiz covers definitions, examples, and applications of key concepts such as compensation and conversion. Explore how these mechanisms help individuals cope with emotional conflicts.
