Deck 40: Psychodynamic Theories

Question 1

Bryce often acts so daring and overly confident that few people realize he is actually riddled with unconscious insecurity and self-doubt. Bryce best illustrates the use of a defense mechanism known as

A) regression.
B) projection.
C) displacement.
D) reaction formation.

Answer 1

reaction formation.

Question 2

According to Freud's theory, personality arises in response to conflicts between

A) our unacceptable urges and our tendency to become self-actualized.
B) the process of identification and the ego's defense mechanisms.
C) the collective unconscious and our individual desires.
D) our biological impulses and the social restraints against them.

Answer 2

our biological impulses and the social restraints against them.

Question 3

Although Alex has frequently been caught stealing money and other valuables from friends as well as strangers, he does not feel guilty or remorseful about robbing these people. Alex most clearly demonstrates a(n)

A) inferiority complex.
B) external locus of control.
C) weak superego.
D) oral fixation.

Answer 3

weak superego.

Question 4

Carl Jung emphasized the importance of ________ in personality functioning.

A) inferiority feelings
B) psychosexual stages
C) the collective unconscious
D) unconditional positive regard

Question 5

According to psychoanalytic theory, boys' fear of castration is most closely associated with

A) an oral fixation.
B) free association.
C) the spotlight effect.
D) the Oedipus complex.

Question 6

Which of the following is the correct order of psychosexual stages proposed by Freud?

A) oral; anal; phallic; latency; genital
B) anal; oral; phallic; latency; genital
C) oral; anal; genital; latency; phallic
D) anal; oral; genital; latency; phallic

Question 7

Jaydon doesn't realize that his alcohol abuse and neglect of his family is leading to the destruction of both his family and career. A psychoanalyst would suggest that Jaydon shows signs of a

A) strong ego.
B) weak id.
C) strong superego.
D) weak ego.

Question 8

Which of Freud's ideas would NOT be accepted by most contemporary psychologists?

A) Development is essentially fixed in childhood.
B) Sexuality is a potent drive in humans.
C) The mind is an iceberg with consciousness being only the tip.
D) Repression can be the cause of forgetting.

Question 9

Freud thought that the part of a dream that we remember is a censored version of

A) unconditional positive regard.
B) the spotlight effect.
C) unconscious wishes.
D) self-serving bias.

Question 10

Hermann Rorschach introduced what has become the most widely used ________ test.

A) empirically derived
B) thematic apperception
C) factor analytic
D) projective

Question 11

Children who have witnessed a parent's murder report memories that most clearly challenge Freud's concept of

A) erogenous zones.
B) reaction formation.
C) displacement.
D) repression.

Question 12

Recent research has provided more support for defense mechanisms such as ________ than for defense mechanisms such as ________.

A) displacement; reaction formation
B) reaction formation; displacement
C) displacement; regression
D) displacement; projection

Question 13

According to Freud, defense mechanisms are methods of reducing

A) anger.
B) fear.
C) anxiety.
D) lust.

Question 14

The text defines personality as

A) the set of personal attitudes that characterizes a person.
B) an individual's characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting.
C) a predictable set of responses to environmental stimuli.
D) an unpredictable set of responses to environmental stimuli.

Question 15

Id is to ego as ________ is to ________.

A) reality principle; pleasure principle
B) pleasure principle; reality principle
C) conscious forces; unconscious forces
D) conscience; "personality executive"

Question 16

The Oedipus and Electra complexes have their roots in the

A) anal stage.
B) oral stage.
C) latency stage.
D) phallic stage.

Question 17

Freud suggested that adults with a passive personality marked by a childlike dependency demonstrate signs of

A) an oral fixation.
B) an inferiority complex.
C) reaction formation.
D) an Oedipus complex.

Question 18

Neo-Freudians such as Adler and Horney believed that

A) Freud placed too great an emphasis on the conscious mind.
B) Freud placed too great an emphasis on sexual and aggressive instincts.
C) the years of childhood were more important in the formation of personality than Freud had indicated.
D) Freud's ideas about the id, ego, and superego as personality structures were incorrect.

Question 19

Projective tests such as the Rorschach inkblot test have been criticized because

A) their scoring system is too rigid and leads to unfair labeling.
B) they were standardized with unrepresentative samples.
C) they have low reliability and low validity.
D) it is easy for people to fake answers in order to appear healthy.

Question 20

Bonnie is afraid to express anger at her overbearing and irritating supervisor at work, so she is critical of her children instead. A psychoanalyst would suggest that Bonnie's reaction to her children illustrates

A) identification.
B) reaction formation.
C) displacement.
D) projection.

Question 21

Free association is central to the process of

A) factor analysis.
B) self-serving bias.
C) psychoanalysis.
D) reciprocal determinism.

Question 22

Freud believed that certain troubling symptoms could be traced to painful unconscious memories. This led him to suspect that these symptoms resulted from

A) genetic defects.
B) an inferiority complex.
C) psychological processes.
D) an internal locus of control.

Question 23

According to Freud, ________ is the process by which children incorporate their parents' values into their ________.

A) reaction formation; superegos
B) reaction formation; egos
C) identification; superegos
D) identification; egos

Question 24

Freud suggested that the remembered events and images in our dreams were a censored expression of the dream's

A) psychosexual stages.
B) latent content.
C) reality principle.
D) collective unconscious.

Question 25

Psychoanalysis refers to the personality theory and therapeutic practices developed by

A) Carl Rogers.
B) Gordon Allport.
C) Sigmund Freud.
D) Albert Bandura.

Question 26

Which of the following was NOT mentioned in the text as a criticism of Freud's theory?

A) The theory is sexist.
B) It offers few testable hypotheses.
C) There is no evidence of anything like an "unconscious."
D) The theory ignores the fact that human development is lifelong.

Question 27

Which of the following techniques did Freud use to discover the latent content of his patients' dreams?

A) fixation
B) factor analysis
C) projective testing
D) free association

Question 28

The concept of personality most clearly embodies the notion of

A) moral integrity.
B) self-consciousness.
C) behavioral consistency.
D) self-actualization.

Question 29

Which of the following refers to the tendency to overestimate the extent to which others share our beliefs?

A) the spotlight effect
B) projection
C) rationalization
D) the false consensus effect

Question 30

A psychotherapist instructs Dane to relax, close his eyes, and state aloud whatever thoughts come to mind no matter how trivial or absurd. The therapist is using a technique known as

A) fixation.
B) free association.
C) factor analysis.
D) hypnosis.

Question 31

The importance of unconscious conflicts and childhood experiences is of most central importance to

A) humanistic theories.
B) psychodynamic theories.
C) social-cognitive theories.
D) trait theories.

Question 32

Forgotten memories that we can easily recall were said by Freud to be

A) displaced.
B) preconscious.
C) fixated.
D) unconscious.

Question 33

Reporting whatever thoughts come to mind even if they are trivial or embarrassing is characteristic of

A) defense mechanisms.
B) the spotlight effect.
C) free association.
D) self-serving bias.

Question 34

Freud became interested in unconscious personality dynamics when he noticed that certain patients' symptoms

A) resulted from the physical abuse they received from their parents during childhood.
B) reflected an internal locus of control.
C) illustrated a reciprocal determinism.
D) made no neurological sense.

Question 35

Mary enjoys socializing with friends and talking with them on her cell phone. Eileen prefers quiet times by herself when she can reflect on her own thoughts. The characteristics of Mary and Eileen indicate that each has a distinctive

A) fixation.
B) personality.
C) attributional style.
D) collective unconscious.

Question 36

Freud believed that ________ are the "royal road to the unconscious."

A) projective tests
B) dreams
C) erogenous zones
D) psychosexual stages

Question 37

According to Freud, the unconscious is

A) the part of personality that cannot process information.
B) the thoughts, wishes, feelings, and memories, of which we are largely unaware.
C) a set of universal concepts acquired by all humans from our common past.
D) a reservoir of deeply repressed memories that does not affect behavior.

Question 38

By professional training, Freud was a

A) philosopher.
B) sociologist.
C) physician.
D) literary scholar.

Question 39

An individual's characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting is his or her

A) self-esteem.
B) personality.
C) reality principle.
D) hierarchy of needs.

Question 40

Psychodynamic theories emphasize that personality involves a dynamic interaction between

A) persons and situations.
B) conditioning and observational learning.
C) conscious and unconscious mental processes.
D) unconditional positive regard and self-actualization.

Question 41

Freud referred to the largely conscious "executive" part of the personality as the

A) Oedipus complex.
B) superego.
C) ego.
D) id.

Question 42

Ego is to id as ________ is to ________.

A) unconscious; conscious
B) biology; morality
C) reality principle; pleasure principle
D) regression; repression

Question 43

Freud emphasized that the id operates on the ________ principle.

A) self-transcendence
B) collectivism
C) identity
D) pleasure

Question 44

When 16-year-old Hafez received a large inheritance from his grandfather, he was tempted to purchase an expensive new car. He decided, instead, to deposit all the money into a savings account for his college education. Hafez shows signs of a

A) weak superego.
B) weak id.
C) strong collective unconscious.
D) strong ego.

Question 45

Freud suggested that a boy's identification with his father during the phallic stage illustrates the process of

A) unconditional positive regard.
B) self-transcendence.
C) free association.
D) conflict resolution.

Question 46

According to Freud, the component of personality that seeks to reconcile the demands of the id, superego, and reality is the

A) collective unconscious.
B) Oedipus complex.
C) erogenous zone.
D) ego.

Question 47

Janine is repulsed by the thought of watching a pornographic video. Freud would have attributed these feelings to Janine's

A) ego.
B) id.
C) superego.
D) inferiority complex.

Question 48

One night after he heard his parents arguing, 4-year-old Wei had a vivid dream in which he saved his mother from being bitten by a large snake. A psychoanalyst would most likely suspect that Wei's dream reflects a(n)

A) oral fixation.
B) reaction formation.
C) self-serving bias.
D) Oedipus complex.

Question 49

No matter how long and hard Lerae studies, she always feels she hasn't studied as much as she should have. A Freudian psychologist would suggest that Lerae shows signs of a

A) weak id.
B) weak ego.
C) strong id.
D) strong superego.

Question 50

Freud suggested that the id's pleasure-seeking energies focus on distinct pleasure-sensitive areas of the body known as

A) psychosexual stages.
B) the Big Five.
C) erogenous zones.
D) Oedipus complexes.

Question 51

According to Freud, the part of personality that represents our sense of right and wrong and our ideal standards is the

A) Oedipus complex.
B) ego.
C) id.
D) superego.

Question 52

Matt reported a dream in which he repeatedly fell off a horse. His therapist suggested that his dream reflected Matt's mixed feelings of affection and resentment toward his own father. According to Freud, the therapist was attempting to reveal the dream's

A) factor analysis.
B) latent content.
C) erogenous zone.
D) psychosexual stage.

Question 53

When 2-year-old Matthew was told he would get no dessert until he finished the food on his plate, he threw his plate on the floor in a temper tantrum. Freud would have suggested that Matthew was unable to resist the demands of his

A) superego.
B) ego.
C) id.
D) Oedipus complex.

Question 54

According to Freud, boys are most likely to experience the Oedipus complex during the ________ stage.

A) anal
B) phallic
C) oral
D) latency

Question 55

According to psychoanalytic theory, the part of the personality that strives for immediate gratification of basic drives is the

A) id.
B) ego.
C) superego.
D) erogenous zones.

Question 56

The Oedipus complex is the term used by Freud to describe

A) the erogenous zones that are the focus of the latency stage.
B) the passive dependence of someone who is orally fixated.
C) children's efforts to overcome feelings of inferiority.
D) boys' feelings of guilt and fear of punishment over their sexual desire for their mother.

Question 57

Two-year-old Damien frequently refuses to obey his parents because he derives immense pleasure from demonstrating his independence from their control. Freud would have suggested that Damien is going through the ________ stage of development.

A) phallic
B) anal
C) latency
D) oral

Question 58

Bruce wants to be a loving husband but at the same time wants to express his disgust for some of his wife's habits. According to Freud, Bruce's ________ might enable him to partially satisfy both desires.

A) self-transcendence
B) superego
C) Oedipus complex
D) ego

Question 59

Some psychoanalysts in Freud's era believed that girls experienced unconscious sexual desires for their father during the phallic stage. These feelings, they thought, reflected

A) self-actualization.
B) an Electra complex.
C) the spotlight effect.
D) unconditional positive regard.

Question 60

Freud suggested that the process of identification is most directly responsible for strengthening

A) the Oedipus complex.
B) free association.
C) the superego.
D) erogenous zones.

Question 61

Gene spends a good deal of time bragging about his numerous sexual exploits. Freud would have suggested that Gene is fixated at the ________ stage.

A) oral
B) latency
C) phallic
D) anal

Question 62

Four-year-old Timmy had not wet his bed for over a year. However, he started bed-wetting again soon after his sister was born. Timmy's behavior best illustrates

A) reaction formation.
B) projection.
C) regression.
D) denial.

Question 63

Arjean's opinions are so dependent on what her friends think that she will swallow just about anything they tell her. Freud would have suggested that Arjean demonstrates a

A) fixation.
B) free association.
C) reaction formation.
D) collective unconscious.

Question 64

Reaction formation refers to the process by which people

A) disguise unacceptable unconscious impulses by attributing them to others.
B) consciously express feelings that are the opposite of unacceptable unconscious impulses.
C) retreat to behavior patterns characteristic of a more infantile stage of development.
D) offer self-justifying explanations in place of the real but unacceptable unconscious reasons for action.

Question 65

According to Freud, defense mechanisms are used by the

A) id to defend against the accusations and guilt feelings produced by the superego.
B) ego to prevent threatening impulses from being consciously recognized.
C) superego to prevent expression of sexual and aggressive drives.
D) id, ego, and superego in a repetitive sequence of internal conflicts.

Question 66

Freud suggested that orally fixated adults are especially likely to exhibit

A) passive dependence.
B) an inferiority complex.
C) an Electra complex.
D) the spotlight effect.

Question 67

Parents who disguise hostility toward their children by becoming overly protective of them are very likely using the defense mechanism of

A) projection.
B) regression.
C) rationalization.
D) reaction formation.

Question 68

According to Freud, an adult who exhibits biting sarcasm and an exaggerated denial of his or her dependence on others shows signs of a(n)

A) free association.
B) unconditional positive regard
C) self-transcendence.
D) fixation.

Question 69

Freud would have suggested that an excessive fixation is most likely to contribute to

A) regression.
B) learned helplessness.
C) reciprocal determinism.
D) self-serving bias.

Question 70

Gender identity refers to

A) our biological sex.
B) the sense of being male or female.
C) the set of socially expected behaviors for males and females.
D) internalized ideals for appropriate sexual behavior.

Question 71

Abdul mistakenly believes that his classmates are unusually hostile. In fact, Abdul is the most quarrelsome and aggressive child in the school. According to psychoanalytic theory, Abdul's belief that his classmates are hostile is a

A) regression.
B) projection.
C) denial.
D) reaction formation.

Question 72

Freud suggested that defense mechanisms protect an individual from

A) anxiety.
B) self-serving bias.
C) self-transcendence.
D) unconditional positive regard.

Question 73

Freud referred to a lingering focus of pleasure-seeking energies at an earlier psychosexual stage as

A) projection.
B) fixation.
C) displacement.
D) repression.

Question 74

When she was 8 years old, Inge was sexually abused by her uncle. At 14, Inge felt uncomfortable whenever she saw this uncle but was unable to understand why she felt this way. A psychoanalyst would be most likely to suggest that Inge is using the defense mechanism of

A) repression.
B) rationalization.
C) regression.
D) displacement.

Question 75

Freud suggested that slips of the tongue illustrate an incomplete

A) fixation.
B) displacement.
C) rationalization.
D) repression.

Question 76

Mrs. Smith, who is White and unconsciously in favor of racial segregation, tells her friends that most Blacks prefer to live in residential neighborhoods inhabited predominantly by Blacks. According to psychoanalytic theory, Mrs. Smith best illustrates

A) reaction formation.
B) projection.
C) displacement.
D) regression.

Question 77

The defense mechanism by which people disguise threatening impulses by attributing them to others is called

A) projection.
B) displacement.
C) fixation.
D) reaction formation.

Question 78

Which theory would most likely predict that boys raised without a father figure will have difficulty developing a strongly masculine gender identity?

A) Allport's trait theory
B) Maslow's humanistic theory
C) Bandura's social-cognitive theory
D) Freud's psychoanalytic theory

Question 79

Regression is a defense mechanism that involves

A) consciously expressing feelings that are the opposite of underlying unconscious impulses.
B) disguising threatening impulses by attributing them to others.
C) retreating to a more infantile psychosexual stage.
D) shifting sexual or aggressive impulses toward less threatening targets.

Question 80

Repression refers to the defense mechanism by which people

A) offer self-justifying explanations in place of the real but threatening unconscious reasons for action.
B) retreat to behavior patterns characteristic of a more infantile stage of development.
C) disguise threatening impulses by attributing them to others.
D) banish anxiety-arousing thoughts from consciousness.