Question

H-83 Name M# Section # Date Chapter 11 Handout 2 DEFENSE MECHANISMS Instructions: For each of the following examples, select a possible defense mechanism that may be involved 1. Philip is 8 years old and has not wet the bed for 5 years. After going through a recent tornado, Philip begins to bed wet, and he starts sucking his thumb. Jane is very angry at her mother, but is polite and respectful on the phone with her. When Jane's husband gets home she starts to yell at him and blame him for things he did not do 2. 3. Blossom (a college student) does not remember being physically abused as a child. 4. Lucia has an unconscious urge to be very messy. Instead, however, she is extremely neat and well organized 5. Jimmy has an unconscious urge to hurt people. He becomes a dentist. Deep down, Hazel believes she is a selfish, conceited woman. She begins, however, to believe that she is not, but she starts to accuse everyone else of being selfish 6. Repression Projection Regression Reaction formation Sublimation Displacement

Answer 1

1. Regression – Philip is actually returning to his previous stage where he wets his bed and suck his thumb because of the shock that the recent tornado caused. This happens out of hostile or fearful situations, a feel of insecurity.
2. Displacement – Displacement in defence mechanism means shifting or moving and here Jane was supposed to express her anger to her mother but she was not able to express it, probably out of fear or respect. So she shifts her anger on her husband who would not talk to her back.
3. Repression – Blossom has suppressed the disturbing feel of being physically abused as a child. It’s the act of sending suppressing or threating thoughts from coming to conscious mind.
4. Reaction formation- Lucia wants to be messy but she is also aware that the society won’t accept it, so she behaves and presents herself neatly. It’s a tendency to change a suppressed wish or feeling to be expressed in a socially acceptable manner.
5. Sublimation – Jimmy wanted to hurt people but he can’t do it directly, so he becomes a dentist where he can hurt people because he has got a license to do so. It’s all about unconsciously transforming socially unacceptable behaviours into socially acceptable actions or behaviours.
6. Projection – Hazel knows that she is selfish but she starts to blame others for selfishness. This is about people blaming others for socially unacceptable thoughts, feelings and behaviours which the people who blame themselves have.

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