Deck 40: A: Psychodynamic Theories

Question 1

Mark typically responds to stress in a calm and thoughtful manner. Chandler usually becomes agitated. The reactions of Mark and Chandler indicate that each has a distinctive

A) reaction formation.
B) collective unconscious.
C) self-serving bias.
D) personality.

Answer 1

personality.

Question 2

Freud emphasized that the ego operates on the ________ principle.

A) pleasure
B) self-actualization
C) reality
D) self-transcendence

Answer 2

reality

Question 3

Personality is best defined as an individual's

A) characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting.
B) most noticeable characteristics.
C) biologically inherited temperament.
D) hidden thoughts and emotions.

Answer 3

characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting.

Question 4

Freud called his theory of personality and the associated treatment techniques

A) a humanistic theory.
B) terror-management theory.
C) a social-cognitive theory.
D) psychoanalysis.

Question 5

Julie reported that she had a dream in which she was chased by a large dog. According to Freud, Julie's account represents the ________ content of her dream.

A) latent
B) repressed
C) manifest
D) empirically derived

Question 6

Psychodynamic theorists emphasize the importance of

A) unconditional positive regard.
B) the spotlight effect.
C) unconscious mental processes.
D) reciprocal determinism.

Question 7

Free association is a method designed to

A) reduce anxiety.
B) explore the unconscious.
C) give priority to group goals.
D) show total acceptance of another person.

Question 8

Who emphasized that slips of the tongue often reveal the personality dynamics that contribute to psychological disorders?

A) Allport
B) Freud
C) Bandura
D) Maslow

Question 9

Freud referred to the remembered story line of a dream as its

A) archetype.
B) erogenous zone.
C) manifest content.
D) psychosexual stage.

Question 10

According to Freud's theory, the behavior of a newborn is controlled by

A) the reality principle.
B) the ego.
C) the superego.
D) the id.

Question 11

According to Freud, understanding how the id, ego, and superego interact is essential to grasping the nature of

A) the collective unconscious.
B) reciprocal determinism.
C) motivational conflict.
D) an inferiority complex.

Question 12

Prior to his use of free association, Freud unsuccessfully tried to make use of

A) hypnosis.
B) projective tests.
C) psychoactive drugs.
D) fixation.

Question 13

Which of the following techniques was Freud most likely to use in an attempt to discover the hidden conflicts underlying his patients' symptoms?

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

Question 14

Freud believed that censored dream contents were

A) fixated.
B) free associations.
C) repressed.
D) traits.

Question 15

Freud emphasized that effective treatment of psychological disorders involves the

A) fixation of repressed sexual desires.
B) projection of repressed fears.
C) exploration of repressed memories.
D) displacement of repressed hostilities.

Question 16

According to Freud, thoughts that are too unsettling for people to acknowledge are

A) manifest contents.
B) self-serving biases.
C) repressed.
D) inferiority complexes.

Question 17

Katrinka habitually makes nasty, hostile comments about her teachers. Freud would have suggested that her behavior illustrates the powerful influence of the

A) spotlight effect.
B) superego.
C) ego.
D) id.

Question 18

Freud believed that our repressed impulses express themselves in

A) dreams.
B) slips of the tongue.
C) troubling symptoms.
D) all of these forms.

Question 19

In suggesting that the mind is mostly hidden, Freud was most clearly emphasizing the importance of the

A) spotlight effect.
B) erogenous zone.
C) unconscious.
D) psychosexual stages.

Question 20

The belief that some distressing physical symptoms made no neurological sense contributed most directly to

A) Allport's interest in personality traits.
B) Freud's interest in unconscious conflicts.
C) Maslow's interest in self-actualization.
D) Bandura's interest in personal control.

Question 21

The pleasure principle is to the ________ as the reality principle is to the ________.

A) id; superego
B) id; ego
C) Oedipus complex; Electra complex
D) conscious; unconscious

Question 22

Freud suggested that a man's inability to remember his childhood Oedipus complex illustrates

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

Question 23

Freud suggested that pleasure-seeking energies focus on distinct erogenous zones as we progress through various

A) defense mechanisms.
B) psychosexual stages.
C) free associations.
D) identifications.

Question 24

According to Freud, boys develop unconscious sexual desires for their mother during the ________ stage.

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

Question 25

Although Garth wants to have sex with his girlfriend, he also wants to avoid premarital sex. Freud would have suggested that both desires might be partially satisfied by Garth's

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

Question 26

Byron is always looking to others for advice, approval, and affection. According to the psychoanalytic perspective, Byron is most likely fixated at the ________ stage.

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

Question 27

Four-year-old John is very competitive with his father in trying to gain more attention from his mother. Freud would have suggested that John is going through the ________ stage of development.

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

Question 28

Ingrid is a married woman who pursues sexual gratification by means of kissing rather than through sexual intercourse. According to Freud, this illustrates a(n)

A) Oedipus complex.
B) self-serving bias.
C) fixation.
D) projection.

Question 29

According to Freud, the most important erogenous zone during earliest infancy consists of the

A) eyes.
B) mouth.
C) bowels.
D) breasts.

Question 30

Freud emphasized that unresolved childhood conflicts often lead to

A) reciprocal determinism.
B) unconditional positive regard.
C) an external locus of control.
D) fixation.

Question 31

Freud suggested that in the process of development, people pass through

A) a genital stage before they enter a latency stage.
B) a latency stage before they enter a phallic stage.
C) a genital stage before they enter a phallic stage.
D) a latency stage before they enter a genital stage.

Question 32

The superego is the part of personality that

A) mediates between the demands of biology and the external world.
B) operates on the reality principle.
C) generates feelings of guilt.
D) performs all of these functions.

Question 33

Freud suggested that the superego strengthens through the process of

A) fixation.
B) free association.
C) reciprocal determinism.
D) identification.

Question 34

According to Freud, what psychologists now call our gender identity develops most rapidly during the ________ stage.

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

Question 35

According to Freud's theory, the ego

A) is the executive part of personality.
B) operates on the pleasure principle.
C) is the major source of guilt feelings.
D) operates only on a conscious level.

Question 36

A boy's sexual desires for his mother and feelings of hostility toward his father constitute what Freud called

A) reaction formation.
B) the Oedipus complex.
C) reciprocal determinism.
D) an oral fixation.

Question 37

Jordan feels guilty for hurting his younger brother. Freud would have attributed these feelings to Jordan's

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

Question 38

Georg often acts on impulse, without taking time to consider the consequences. A psychoanalyst would suggest that Georg shows signs of a

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

Question 39

Boris does not like chemistry, but he has chosen it as his college major simply to prove that he is just as smart as his father, who is an outstanding chemist. A psychoanalyst would be most likely to suggest that Boris suffers from an unresolved

A) oral fixation.
B) free association.
C) Oedipus complex.
D) projection.

Question 40

While attending college, Saeb impulsively and carelessly spends all his time and money on "wine, women, and song." Freud would have suggested that Saeb shows signs of a(n)

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

Question 41

Coping with anxiety by retreating to behavior patterns characteristic of an earlier, more infantile stage of development is called

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

Question 42

Unconsciously motivated by miserliness, Mr. Rioja refused his son's request for money to buy the books he needs for school. In defending his actions, Mr. Rioja explained that "parental financial aid prevents teenagers from developing into mature, independent adults." Mr. Rioja's explanation is an example of

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

Question 43

Projection refers to the process by which people

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

Question 44

Psychoanalytic theory suggests that the ego disguises threatening impulses and reduces anxiety by means of

A) free association.
B) unconditional positive regard.
C) defense mechanisms.
D) learned helplessness.

Question 45

A religious leader who attempts to overcome his hidden doubts with intense expressions of spiritual certainty illustrates most clearly the defense mechanism of

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

Question 46

According to Freud, the defense mechanism that underlies all others is

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

Question 47

Which defense mechanism involves expressing feelings that are the exact opposite of their anxiety-arousing unconscious feelings?

A) regression
B) denial
C) reaction formation
D) displacement

Question 48

As her parents became increasingly more abusive toward her, Amity began, with apparent sincerity, to emphatically express her great admiration for her parents. Amity's behavior illustrates most clearly the defense mechanism of

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

Question 49

Neo-Freudians placed greater emphasis than did Freud on the role of ________ in personality development.

A) defense mechanisms
B) the Oedipus complex
C) the conscious mind
D) genetic predispositions

Question 50

Displacement refers to the process by which people

A) consciously express feelings that are the opposite of unacceptable, unconscious impulses.
B) disguise threatening impulses by attributing them to others.
C) retreat to behavior patterns characteristic of a more infantile stage of development.
D) redirect aggressive or sexual impulses toward less threatening targets.

Question 51

Both Karen Horney and Alfred Adler placed greater emphasis than did Freud on the role of ________ in personality development.

A) defense mechanisms
B) social interactions
C) the collective unconscious
D) genetic predispositions

Question 52

Denial is a defense mechanism that involves

A) attributing one's own threatening impulses to others.
B) refusing to believe or even perceive painful realities.
C) shifting aggressive or sexual impulses toward less threatening targets.
D) retreating to behavior patterns characteristic of a more infantile stage of development.

Question 53

Using the defense mechanism of projection, a person experiences an internal

A) threat as if it were an external virtue.
B) virtue as if it were an external threat.
C) threat as if it were an external threat.
D) virtue as if it were an external virtue.

Question 54

Freud indicated that defense mechanisms

A) increase anxiety by consciously distorting reality.
B) reduce anxiety by consciously distorting reality.
C) increase anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality.
D) reduce anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality.

Question 55

For several months after he lost the job he had held for nearly 20 years, Mr. Ullomi frequently lost his temper and suffered periodic crying spells. His behavior is most clearly an example of

A) an Oedipus complex.
B) denial.
C) regression.
D) projection.

Question 56

Although Camile has detailed memories of her early school years, she remembers very little about the boyfriend who abruptly broke off their marriage engagement. According to psychoanalytic theory, it appears that Camile is using the defense mechanism of

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

Question 57

A habitual drinker who says she drinks with her friends "just to be sociable" best illustrates

A) displacement.
B) rationalization.
C) reaction formation.
D) the spotlight effect.

Question 58

Frank refuses to believe that he is addicted to drugs despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. He is most clearly demonstrating the defense mechanism of

A) displacement.
B) regression.
C) projection.
D) denial.

Question 59

Although Eduardo has repressed his own homosexual desires, he is distressed by a false suspicion that many men frequently stare lustfully at his body. According to psychoanalytic theory, Eduardo's thinking best illustrates

A) displacement.
B) projection.
C) denial.
D) rationalization.

Question 60

Shortly after receiving a traffic ticket for speeding, Fred made numerous hostile comments to his wife about the incompetence of women drivers. Fred's comments illustrate most clearly the defense mechanism of

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

Question 61

Rona was asked by her psychotherapist to describe what she saw in 10 ambiguous inkblots. Rona was most likely responding to a(n) ________ test.

A) projective
B) self-esteem
C) multiphasic personality
D) empirically derived

Question 62

Contemporary psychodynamic theorists are most likely to emphasize the importance of

A) sexual instincts.
B) free association.
C) inner conflicts.
D) oral fixations.

Question 63

Which of the following Freudian ideas is most clearly contradicted by contemporary psychological theory and research?

A) Conscious awareness of what goes on in our minds is very limited.
B) Painful experiences are commonly repressed.
C) Memories are often distorted and incomplete.
D) Individuals seek to defend themselves against anxiety.

Question 64

Mr. Dutoit was asked by his psychotherapist to look at some ambiguous pictures and make up a story about each. Mr. Dutoit was most likely taking the

A) TAT.
B) Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.
C) MMPI.
D) Rorschach test.

Question 65

According to Carl Jung, the collective unconscious

A) includes memories of our childhood social tensions.
B) triggers attempts to achieve superiority.
C) contains archetypes derived from our species' universal experiences.
D) is a reservoir for our sexual and aggressive motivations.

Question 66

Which theory has been most severely criticized for offering after-the-fact explanations without advancing testable predictions?

A) humanistic theory
B) trait theory
C) psychoanalytic theory
D) social-cognitive theory

Question 67

Twelve-year-old Cawley demonstrates a strongly masculine sense of self-identity even though he was raised without a father or father substitute. This fact represents the most serious threat to ________ theory of personality.

A) Freud's
B) Bandura's
C) Rogers'
D) Allport's

Question 68

The implicit memories that operate even among those with amnesia best illustrate the importance of

A) the spotlight effect.
B) defense mechanisms.
C) unconscious thought.
D) self-transcendence.

Question 69

Tests that present ambiguous stimuli designed to uncover hidden personality dynamics are called ________ tests.

A) empirical
B) projective
C) multiphasic personality
D) factor analytic

Question 70

Which of the following personality assessment tools has been the most harshly criticized for lacking validity?

A) Eysenck Personality Questionnaire
B) Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
C) Rorschach inkblot test
D) MMPI

Question 71

Survivors of traumatic events, such as rape or torture, are often haunted by persistent and vivid memories of this experience. This most clearly serves to challenge Freud's concept of

A) free association.
B) learned helplessness.
C) motivational conflict.
D) repression.

Question 72

Celine recently had a vivid dream that was strikingly similar to an ancient but unfamiliar religious myth. This coincidence would have been of particular interest to

A) Alfred Adler.
B) Gordon Allport.
C) Carl Jung.
D) Karen Horney.

Question 73

Experimental studies of terror-management theory indicate that we defend ourselves against death anxiety by increasing our

A) contempt for others and our esteem for ourselves.
B) esteem for others and our contempt for ourselves.
C) contempt for others and our contempt for ourselves.
D) esteem for others and our esteem for ourselves.

Question 74

Which theory proposes that adherence to one's worldview is used to defend against a deeply rooted fear of death?

A) trait theory
B) object relations theory
C) social-cognitive theory
D) terror-management theory

Question 75

Which neo-Freudian introduced the concept of an inferiority complex?

A) Carl Jung
B) Hermann Rorschach
C) Karen Horney
D) Alfred Adler