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Chapter 11: Problem 4

Check your understanding of defense mechanisms by identifying specific defenses in the story below. Each example of a defense mechanism is underlined, with a number beneath it. Write in the defense at work in each case in the numbered spaces after the story. The answers are in Appendix A. My boyfriend recently broke up with me after we had dated seriously for several years. At first, I cried a great deal and \(\underline{\text { locked myself in my room, where I pouted endlessly. }}\) was sure that my former boyfriend felt as miserable as I did.\(\underline{\text { I told several friends that he was probably lonely and depressed.}}\) Later, I decided that I hated him.\(\underline{\text { I was happy about the breaküp and talked about how much / was going to enjoy my newfound freedom,}}\) 1 went to parties and socialized a great deal and just forgot about him. \(\underline{\text { It's funny-at one point / couldn't even remember his phone number. }}\) Then I started pining for him again. But eventually l began to look at the situation more objectively. I realized that he had many faults and that \(\underline{\text { we were bound to break up sooner or later, so / was better off without him }}\) 4\. _______________

Short Answer

Expert verified
Short Answer: In the given story, the protagonist exhibits five defense mechanisms to cope with their breakup: 1) Isolation, by withdrawing from social situations; 2) Projection, by attributing their feelings of loneliness and depression to their ex-boyfriend; 3) Reaction Formation, by pretending to be happy and excited about the breakup; 4) Repression, by unconsciously forgetting their ex-boyfriend's phone number; and 5) Rationalization, by justifying the breakup as inevitable and claiming to be better off without their ex.

Step by step solution

01

Identify the first defense mechanism

In the story, the first underlined text is, "locked myself in my room, where I pouted endlessly." This is an example of the defense mechanism called Isolation, which involves withdrawing from social situations to avoid emotional pain.
02

Identify the second defense mechanism

The second underlined text is, "I told several friends that he was probably lonely and depressed." This defense mechanism is called Projection, where a person attributes their own feelings or emotions to another person. In this case, the protagonist projects their own feelings of loneliness and depression onto their ex-boyfriend.
03

Identify the third defense mechanism

The third underlined text is, "I was happy about the breakup and talked about how much I was going to enjoy my newfound freedom." This is an example of Reaction Formation, where a person adopts the opposite feelings or emotions to protect themselves from painful emotions. Here, the protagonist pretends to be happy and excited about the breakup to cope with the pain.
04

Identify the fourth defense mechanism

The fourth underlined text is, "It's funny - at one point I couldn't even remember his phone number." This defense mechanism is called Repression, where a person unconsciously pushes away memories or feelings that cause distress. In this case, the protagonist represses the memory of their ex-boyfriend's phone number to avoid the pain of the breakup.
05

Identify the fifth defense mechanism

The fifth underlined text is, "we were bound to break up sooner or later, so I was better off without him." This defense mechanism is called Rationalization, where a person creates a logical explanation to justify a situation or outcome that is emotionally difficult to accept. Here, the protagonist rationalizes the breakup by convincing themselves that it was bound to happen and that they are better off without their ex-boyfriend.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Check your recall of the principal ideas of important personality theorists covered in this chapter by matching the people listed on the left with the appropriate contributions described on the right. Fill in the letters for your choices in the spaces provided on the left. You'll find the answers in Appendix A. Key Ideas and Contributions a. This humanistic theorist is famous for his hierarchy of needs and his work on self-actualizing persons. b. This humanist called his approach a "personcentered theory." He argued that an incongruent self-concept tends to promote anxiety and defensive behavior. c. This influential behaviorist explained personality development in terms of operant conditioning, especially the process of reinforcement. d. This theorist emphasized the importance of unconscious conflicts, anxiety, defense mechanisms, and psychosexual development. e. This behaviorist sparked a robust debate about the importance of the person, as opposed to the situation, in determining behavior. f. This theorist views personality structure as a hierarchy of traits and argues that personality is heavily influenced by heredity. g. This theorist clashed with Freud and argued that the foremost source of human motivation is a striving for superiority. h. This psychodynamic theorist is famous for the concepts of the collective unconscious and archetypes. i. This theorist's social cognitive theory emphasizes observational learning and self-efficacy. Major Theorists _____Sigmund Freud

Choose from the following theorists: (a) Alfred Adler, (b) Albert Bandura, (c) Hans Eysenck, (d) Sigmund Freud, (e) Abraham Maslow, (f) Walter Mischel. ________ "If you deliberately plan to be less than you are capable of being, then warn you that you'll be deeply unhappy for the rest of your life."

Check your recall of the principal ideas of important personality theorists covered in this chapter by matching the people listed on the left with the appropriate contributions described on the right. Fill in the letters for your choices in the spaces provided on the left. You'll find the answers in Appendix A. Key Ideas and Contributions a. This humanistic theorist is famous for his hierarchy of needs and his work on self-actualizing persons. b. This humanist called his approach a "personcentered theory." He argued that an incongruent self-concept tends to promote anxiety and defensive behavior. c. This influential behaviorist explained personality development in terms of operant conditioning, especially the process of reinforcement. d. This theorist emphasized the importance of unconscious conflicts, anxiety, defense mechanisms, and psychosexual development. e. This behaviorist sparked a robust debate about the importance of the person, as opposed to the situation, in determining behavior. f. This theorist views personality structure as a hierarchy of traits and argues that personality is heavily influenced by heredity. g. This theorist clashed with Freud and argued that the foremost source of human motivation is a striving for superiority. h. This psychodynamic theorist is famous for the concepts of the collective unconscious and archetypes. i. This theorist's social cognitive theory emphasizes observational learning and self-efficacy. Major Theorists _____Hans Eysenck

Check your understanding of defense mechanisms by identifying specific defenses in the story below. Each example of a defense mechanism is underlined, with a number beneath it. Write in the defense at work in each case in the numbered spaces after the story. The answers are in Appendix A. My boyfriend recently broke up with me after we had dated seriously for several years. At first, I cried a great deal and \(\underline{\text { locked myself in my room, where I pouted endlessly. }}\) was sure that my former boyfriend felt as miserable as I did.\(\underline{\text { I told several friends that he was probably lonely and depressed.}}\) Later, I decided that I hated him.\(\underline{\text { I was happy about the breaküp and talked about how much / was going to enjoy my newfound freedom,}}\) 1 went to parties and socialized a great deal and just forgot about him. \(\underline{\text { It's funny-at one point / couldn't even remember his phone number. }}\) Then I started pining for him again. But eventually l began to look at the situation more objectively. I realized that he had many faults and that \(\underline{\text { we were bound to break up sooner or later, so / was better off without him }}\) 1\. _______________

Check your recall of the principal ideas of important personality theorists covered in this chapter by matching the people listed on the left with the appropriate contributions described on the right. Fill in the letters for your choices in the spaces provided on the left. You'll find the answers in Appendix A. Key Ideas and Contributions a. This humanistic theorist is famous for his hierarchy of needs and his work on self-actualizing persons. b. This humanist called his approach a "personcentered theory." He argued that an incongruent self-concept tends to promote anxiety and defensive behavior. c. This influential behaviorist explained personality development in terms of operant conditioning, especially the process of reinforcement. d. This theorist emphasized the importance of unconscious conflicts, anxiety, defense mechanisms, and psychosexual development. e. This behaviorist sparked a robust debate about the importance of the person, as opposed to the situation, in determining behavior. f. This theorist views personality structure as a hierarchy of traits and argues that personality is heavily influenced by heredity. g. This theorist clashed with Freud and argued that the foremost source of human motivation is a striving for superiority. h. This psychodynamic theorist is famous for the concepts of the collective unconscious and archetypes. i. This theorist's social cognitive theory emphasizes observational learning and self-efficacy. Major Theorists _____B. F. Skinner
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