Deck 11: The Workings of the Unconscious Mind: Defenses and Slips

Question 1

Strategies that help individuals cope with anxiety, guilt, and shame are called ________.

A) compensatory processes
B) regressive tendencies
C) fixations
D) defense mechanisms

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Another name for a modern-day psychoanalyst is a(n) ________ psychologist.

A) id
B) superego
C) ego
D) latent

Answer 2

C

Question 3

According to the descriptions of defense mechanisms in the textbook, ignoring anxiety is an example of ________.

A) rationalization
B) sublimation
C) denial
D) avoidance

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Brian and Matt have both just flunked out of college. Brian is sure he did not flunk and that he really is going to graduate. Matt simply refuses to think about what just happened. Brian is using the defense mechanism of ________ and Matt is using ________.

A) denial; intellectualization
B) rationalization; repression
C) reaction formation; rationalization
D) denial; repression

Question 5

Juan pushed a terrible childhood experience out of his awareness and now is unable to recall it in adulthood. Which defense mechanism is he using?

A) strategic memory
B) denial
C) repression
D) reaction formation

Question 6

Diana, a married woman, is contemplating having an affair with an attractive man in her department at work. Her ego would likely ________.

A) encourage her to pursue the affair immediately
B) object to the affair because it seems immoral
C) object to the affair because it seems impractical
D) make Diana feel guilty

Question 7

The primary result of psychic conflict is ________.

A) depression
B) aggression
C) anxiety
D) immorality

Question 8

According to psychoanalytic theory, ________ occurs when the mind battles itself.

A) splitting
B) negative conflict
C) neurotic conflict
D) psychic conflict

Question 9

Zeke has just found out that his brother has been killed in a plane crash. His first response is "No, not John; he's not dead." According to psychoanalytic theory, Zeke is experiencing the operation of a(n) ________.

A) parapraxis
B) fixation
C) defense mechanism
D) id impulse

Question 10

Modern ego psychologists believe that the key function of the ego is to ________.

A) reflect the values and morals of parents
B) interpret dream symbolism
C) seek pleasure
D) form compromises among the different parts of the mind

Question 11

Sam believes that a considerable amount of interesting human behavior is explained by our denial of the reality of our mortality and eventual annihilation. Sam subscribes to ________ theory.

A) terror management
B) denial of death
C) mortality salience
D) ego-psychology

Question 12

Trisha, who is on a diet, passes a bakery and sees a chocolate cake in the window. She immediately wants to go in and get the cake, but then realizes that eating the cake will only destroy her diet. When she then feels guilty for even thinking about breaking her diet, Trisha is experiencing ________.

A) psychic conflict
B) delay of gratification
C) sublimation
D) reaction formation

Question 13

The ego suppresses the id for ________ reasons.

A) practical
B) unknown
C) mysterious
D) moral

Question 14

A common first reaction to the diagnosis of a fatal illness is ________.

A) extreme grief
B) denial of the diagnosis
C) terror
D) paradoxical relief

Question 15

The defense mechanism of ________ keeps forbidden thoughts, feelings, and impulses out of awareness by replacing them with their opposites.

A) parapraxis
B) projection
C) reaction formation
D) displacement

Question 16

Angie has completely repressed any memory of the sexual abuse she experienced as a child. Lately, she has been experiencing extreme stress at work and is going through a traumatic divorce. Which of the following is LEAST likely to happen, according to psychoanalytic theorizing about defense mechanisms?

A) She will begin to recall the sexual abuse.
B) She will experience failures of her defense mechanism.
C) She will experience anxiety.
D) She will switch to a more sophisticated defense mechanism.

Question 17

When a person uses denial, he or she ________. When a person uses repression, he or she ________.

A) fails to perceive that a source of anxiety currently exists; banishes the past from present awareness
B) banishes the past from present awareness; fails to perceive that a source of anxiety currently exists
C) experiences the opposite of the anxiety-arousing thought or feeling; attributes the anxiety-arousing thought or feeling to someone else
D) uses her or his superego to restrict the expression of the anxiety; uses her or his superego to transform anxiety into more productive outlets

Question 18

When a Freudian refers to "psychic conflict," he or she means that one individual's ________.

A) ego is in conflict with another individual's ego
B) ego is in conflict with another individual's id
C) id and libido are in conflict with each other
D) id, ego, and superego are in conflict with each other

Question 19

According to Freud's theory, the ego's energy store is ________.

A) limited
B) limitless
C) stronger in women than in men
D) decreased in adulthood

Question 20

Which part of the mind is responsible for creating defense mechanisms?

A) preconscious mind
B) ego
C) superego
D) conscious mind

Question 21

Which defense mechanism seems to have few negative consequences, according to Freud?

A) reaction formation
B) sublimation
C) intellectualization
D) displacement

Question 22

Experimental research evidence indicates that a person who displaces aggression will ________.

A) be less inclined to be aggressive in general
B) be more inclined to be aggressive in general
C) use rationalization as a defense mechanism
D) use projection as a defense mechanism

Question 23

Chris spends most of the time before his surgery calmly discussing the death rates associated with the surgery with his doctor and reading all the latest medical articles on his disease. He says that his illness is an interesting opportunity to learn more about medicine. Freud would say that Chris is using ________ to deal with his illness.

A) trivialization
B) rationalization
C) repression
D) intellectualization

Question 24

The defense mechanism called displacement involves the transfer of an emotional response or desire from a(n) ________ target to a ________ one.

A) fantasy; real
B) unsafe; safe
C) real; fantasy
D) objective; fantasy

Question 25

Tim is angry with his mother, but instead of directing his aggression toward her, he kicks his small dog Rocky. This is an example of ________.

A) rationalization
B) intellectualization
C) reaction formation
D) displacement

Question 26

When you deal with an unpleasant or threatening feeling by turning it into a more objective thought, you use ________.

A) rationalization
B) repression
C) intellectualization
D) reaction formation

Question 27

When a parent accidently punishes his or her child too harshly and then claims that it is "for the child's best interests," the parent is using ________.

A) rationalization
B) repression
C) sublimation
D) denial

Question 28

Sam is a big fan of the Chicago White Sox, but rooted against his favorite team in order to impress a potential date. He initially feels bad about this discrepancy, but ultimately begins to believe that he hates the White Sox. What theory can explain this behavior?

A) cognitive dissent
B) cognitive dissonance
C) reaction formation
D) denial

Question 29

________ involves attributing your unwanted impulses and feelings to another person.

A) Displacement
B) Projection
C) Repression
D) Compensation

Question 30

Your friend has a tendency to see his own negative qualities in others. This could be an example of ________.

A) denial
B) repression
C) reaction formation
D) projection

Question 31

One explanation of violent homophobia is that it is the result of ________.

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

Question 32

Which defense mechanism is based on the id's primary process thinking?

A) trivialization
B) displacement
C) reaction formation
D) intellectualization

Question 33

Mark claims that it is okay for him to take supplies from his employer because he uses some of them to do office work at home. Mark is using the defense mechanism of ________.

A) repression
B) denial
C) rationalization
D) intellectualization

Question 34

Dennis is very attracted to his boss, but instead of asking her out, he invites his neighbor Karen to go out with him. Dennis is ________ his feelings for his boss.

A) displacing
B) projecting
C) sublimating
D) rationalizing

Question 35

A military general who only speaks of strategy and refrains from using terms such as killing and casualties to describe war is demonstrating the defense mechanism called ________.

A) denial
B) intellectualization
C) reaction formation
D) repression

Question 36

If Sally accuses her husband of having an affair because she is secretly attracted to the next-door neighbor, she is likely ________ her own feelings.

A) projecting
B) reacting to
C) rationalizing
D) displacing

Question 37

A politician who supported severe efforts to restrict Internet access in his community to prevent the spread of child pornography was arrested and convicted for possession of child pornography. Which defense mechanism best accounts for this paradoxical behavior?

A) reaction formation
B) displacement
C) sublimation
D) trivialization

Question 38

The most widely used defense mechanism is probably ________.

A) repression
B) denial
C) reaction formation
D) rationalization

Question 39

The works of Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo were, according to Freud, examples of ________.

A) fixation
B) intellectualization
C) sublimation
D) projection

Question 40

As a boy, Steve enjoyed the power he had over his friends. Later in life, he became a politician who used his influence to promote social justice. This is an example of what Freud called ________.

A) sublimation
B) projection
C) displacement
D) reaction formation

Question 41

According to Freud, in order for a joke to be funny, the listener must have ________.

A) a sense of humor
B) experienced the same forbidden impulse the joke expresses
C) a reasonable intellect
D) the same defense mechanisms

Question 42

"Freudian slips" are also known as ________

A) paralaxes
B) parapraxes
C) paraphrases
D) parafraxes

Question 43

Freud thought that wit was a form of ________.

A) displacement
B) reaction formation
C) sublimation
D) intellectualization

Question 44

________ are the result of unsuccessful attempts by the ego and superego to control forbidden impulses.

A) Parapraxes
B) Fixations
C) Defense mechanisms
D) Repressed memories

Question 45

Which of the following is NOT considered to be a compelling reason to learn about Freud?

A) Some of Freud's ideas have become integrated into Western culture.
B) Some of Freud's ideas are undergoing a revival in modern psychology.
C) Some of the questions addressed by Freud are still important and unresolved, even today.
D) Some of Freud's ideas are untestable.

Question 46

In a successful joke, the forbidden impulse is ________.

A) disguised
B) repressed
C) obvious
D) expressed directly

Question 47

Forbidden impulses expressed as jokes are effective at dodging the ego and superego because they ________ the forbidden impulse.

A) reduce
B) disguise
C) project
D) displace

Question 48

Freud believed that ________ memory lapses reveal unconscious conflicts.

A) some
B) most
C) all
D) no

Question 49

One criticism of psychoanalytic theory is that Freud considered the development of women to be ________.

A) the basis of male development
B) a deviation from the male model
C) an example of normal development
D) unworthy of discussion

Question 50

In a heated argument with his current girlfriend, Tyler accidentally calls her by the name of his ex-girlfriend. This is an example of a ________.

A) parapraxis
B) fixation
C) Freudian reversal
D) sublimation

Question 51

If a woman pursued an acting career because she secretly craved attention and flattery, Freud would probably say that she ________.

A) was displacing her feelings
B) was sublimating her forbidden impulses
C) was using reaction formation
D) had an unresolved Electra complex

Question 52

If you commit a slip of the tongue when you are tired, Freud would say that ________.

A) fatigue simply made it easier for the impulse to be expressed
B) the slip was an accident regardless of fatigue and should be ignored
C) the slip was caused by the fatigue
D) the slip was unintentional, as long as the content was unrelated to sex or aggression

Question 53

Dan was in a hurry and forgot to kiss his wife good-bye before leaving for work. Freud would say that ________.

A) the stress of being late made Dan forget
B) Dan's behavior is a symptom of fixation in the genital stage
C) Dan may harbor some form of hostility toward his wife
D) forgetting the kiss was an accident

Question 54

One criticism of psychoanalytic theory is that it ________.

A) it is not very intellectually stimulating or creative
B) relies too heavily on evidence from case studies
C) it cannot be applied to daily life
D) ultimately asks questions that are not worth examining

Question 55

The idea that the simplest explanation is the best explanation is known as ________.

A) Occam's razor
B) the compromise principle
C) the reality principle
D) a Platonic ideal

Question 56

Leakages of forbidden impulses from the id are called parapraxes if they are ________ and humor if they are ________.

A) uncontrolled; controlled
B) intentional; unintentional
C) idiotic; funny
D) direct; indirect

Question 57

Psychoanalytic theory frequently leads to a set of hypotheses that cannot be disproved by observations. In that respect, psychoanalytic theory ________.

A) is not parsimonious
B) lacks generalizability
C) is untestable
D) does not use operational definitions

Question 58

Which aspect of humor would Freudians likely find the most interesting?

A) Humor juxtaposes two distinct things into a single joke.
B) Most jokes involve sexual or hostile impulses.
C) Women tend to tell jokes more than men.
D) People tell jokes to appear more attractive.

Question 59

According to Freud, forgetting is usually a result of ________.

A) a memory lapse
B) repression
C) denial
D) intellectualization

Question 60

One criticism of traditional Freudian theory is that it is not parsimonious (or at least parts of it are not parsimonious). This means that it ________.

A) is overly complex
B) underemphasizes the positive sides of human nature
C) is not scientific
D) is not applicable to solving real-world problems

Question 61

A mental "slip" caused by fatigue is just an accident, according to Freud.

Question 62

Freud thought that anxiety caused by the outside world was more interesting than anxiety that originated because of conflicts within the mind.

Question 63

Freud believed that Leonardo da Vinci's prolific scientific investigations were sublimations of his frustrated sexual passions.

Question 64

Repression differs from denial in that repressing something involves banishing the past from present awareness.

Question 65

The superego uses defense mechanisms to keep impulses at bay.

Question 66

Repression is a more complicated defense mechanism than denial.

Question 67

Ego psychologists believe that the most important function of the ego is compromise formation.

Question 68

Threats to self-esteem result in realistic anxiety.

Question 69

Persistent denial is not usually a sign of serious psychopathology.

Question 70

According to the textbook, there has only been one research study in support of the concept of reaction formation.

Question 71

According to the textbook, Freud's theory remains the only complete theory of personality ever proposed.

Question 72

Researchers have been unable to investigate psychological processes related to the Freudian idea of projection because it is so complicated.

Question 73

Denial is a complex defense mechanism.

Question 74

Researchers have yet to find factors that reduce cognitive dissonance effects.

Question 75

Freud believed that sublimation is generally a positive process.

Question 76

The superego is concerned with right and wrong.

Question 77

Terror management theory is concerned with anxiety related to threats of modern-day terrorism.

Question 78

Trivialization is one kind of rationalization.

Question 79

Freud believed that latent homosexual tendencies are suppressed by the id.

Question 80

Freud believed that humor was the method through which the ego vents ordinarily forbidden thoughts or urges.