According to Sigmund Freud, there are three components of personality. One is impulsive, one is moralistic and concerned with rules, and the third tries to manage anxiety caused by conflicts through the use of defense mechanisms. Which of the personality components acts to reduce the uncomfortable feeling of anxiety?
Sixteen-year-old Tanya often dresses and talks like her favorite movie star. This actress tends to play characters whose worries resemble Tanya’s concerns. Freud might suggest Tanya’s unconscious modeling of the star’s behaviors is a defense mechanism called:
Joshua has a particularly difficult day at work. For example, his supervisor came down on him for being late. Instead of yelling at his supervisor, Joshua went home and used a sledgehammer to break up a sidewalk that he’d been removing for several weeks. After this physical work was over, he found that he felt better about the frustrations of the day. Which defense mechanism was Joshua using when he channeled his anger into the demolition of his sidewalk?
Dr. Bain studies ego defense mechanisms. She is interested in exploring ________, the tendency to attribute one’s own anxiety-provoking thoughts onto someone else.
Adriana has not filed a tax return in several years, and is aware that she owes thousands of dollars. Instead of dealing with the problem, she occupies herself with other activities until she can “forget” about this issue. This is an example of _______, or pushing the anxiety-producing information into the unconscious.
Even though he did not study properly for his exam, Carlton blames the other students in his study group for his failing grade. This act of shifting negative feelings onto another, acceptable target is called: