18 Questions
What is the purpose of transforming original, unsocially acceptable motives into more socially acceptable ones?
To reduce guilt and promote acceptance
Which of the following can be considered an example of transformation of motives as mentioned in the text?
Pursuing a career in painting
What is the role of ego defense mechanisms as described in the text?
Creating a barrier to protect the ego from discomforting experiences
How do defense mechanisms contribute to distorting reality, according to the text?
By denying the existence of thoughts or motives
Which defense mechanism is described as the primary or initial one that renders threatening impulses unconscious?
Repression
What is a possible outcome of acknowledging forbidden motives according to the text?
Living in a fantasy world
What is intellectualization?
Getting detachment from a stressful situation by dealing with it in an abstract way
How does intellectualization differ from isolation?
Intellectualization allows for thinking about events, while isolation involves direct repression of feelings
When a psychologist uses intellectualization, what might they be doing?
Satisfying sexual desires through writing about libidinal impulses
What happens to repressed feelings in intellectualization?
They are separated and the individual engages in excessive thinking about events
In sublimation, what happens to sexual and aggressive energy?
They are converted to socially acceptable activities
Why would a person use sublimation as a defense mechanism?
To convert sexual and aggressive energy to socially acceptable activities
Which defense mechanism involves a rapist blaming the victim for the act?
Projection
In the context of the text, what defense mechanism is displayed when a man accuses his wife of infidelity when he himself is unfaithful?
Reaction formation
Which defense mechanism is described when a married woman going out with other men becomes suspicious of her husband?
Projection
What defense mechanism is exemplified by a person believing that someone else is trying to seduce them at a family gathering?
Reaction formation
When a child blames another child for something they themselves want, which defense mechanism is at play?
Projection
What defense mechanism allows individuals to talk about traumatic events without showing emotion by separating feelings from memories?
Isolation
Study Notes
Defense Mechanisms
- Energy is exchanged and directed toward different objects through the mechanism of defense during transformation.
- The purpose of transformation is to make original, unsocially acceptable motives into more socially acceptable ones.
Transformation of Motives
- Ego transforms original motives, such as sadism, aggressive impulses, and sex, into more acceptable ones, like surgery or a career in painting.
- This transformation reduces guilt and promotes acceptance.
Psychological Defenses
- According to Freud's theory, the id, ego, and super ego are in constant conflict, with the id seeking recognition of forbidden impulses, while the super ego suppresses them.
- Ego defense mechanisms create a barrier around the ego to protect it from discomforting experiences.
- All defense mechanisms involve self-deception and distortion of reality, attempting to deny the existence of thoughts or motives.
Repression
- Repression is the primary or initial defense mechanism, which represents a massive inhibition of threatening impulses, rendering them unconscious.
- Disturbing thoughts with great personal significance are automatically and unconsciously sunk into the unconscious mind.
Intellectualization
- Intellectualization is a defense mechanism in which a person attempts to detach from a stressful situation by dealing with it in an abstract way.
- This defense mechanism is a continuation of isolation, and it elaborates on it.
- Feelings can be repressed directly in the thinking, and the person feels no emotions because these are repressed with all the energy directed towards abstract thought process.
Sublimation
- In sublimation, the person has very strong motives, which may consist of socially sanctioned sexual or aggressive acts.
- The ego employs the defense mechanism of sublimation, converting the sexual and aggressive energy into socially acceptable activities.
Projection
- Projection is a defense mechanism in which a person attributes their own unacceptable thoughts or feelings to someone else.
- This defense mechanism is commonly used by children, and it involves a refusal to acknowledge one's own motives or desires.
Isolation
- Isolation is a defense mechanism in which the person separates the feelings from the memories and the thoughts and represses only the feelings into the unconscious mind.
- This separation allows the individual to relate the facts of the event without expressing the emotions associated with the traumatic event.
Test your knowledge on psychological defense mechanisms where energy is exchanged and directed towards different objects mediated by the mechanism of defense. Explore how motives are transformed to more socially acceptable ones, reducing guilt and promoting acceptance, according to Freud's theory.
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