Thinking About Ego Defense Mechanisms

For credit, you must include both the defense mechanism and your justification for implicating it in each of the following situations. For credit, this assignment is due in the class period on the date that we discuss in class.. I will collect these at by the end of class! Assignments turned in after this time will not be accepted for credit purposes. Good luck!

Example:

Situation - Joseph and his fiancée, Allie got into a large fight over the particulars of their wedding plans. Joseph became so frustrated that he just hit a wall, resulting in him having to wear a cast on their wedding day.

Explanation: Displacement. Joseph is mad at Allie, but he diverted his anger to a safer source. He took out his aggressive on the wall, instead of his girlfriend.
  1. After receiving a low grade on an exam, Phil slams the door as he leaves the classroom.

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  2. Scott has had a rough day at work. He is particularly angry at his boss, Carlotta, because he found out today that he had been passed over for a promotion. When Jack gets home, his wife, Joellen, asks hi dinner and he yells at her for "bothering him with stupid questions."

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  3. Many people who were interred in concentration camps were unable to recall events that happened in the camp during their internment.

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  4. Mark behaves like a stereotypical "he-man," but he is actually rather anxious and insecure about his gender identity.

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  5. Lucy dresses in provocative clothes and uses suggestive language although she fears that she is unattractive and she really isn't very interested in sex.

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  6. Patricia has a great deal of anger toward her father because of the verbal and physical abuse that he inflicted upon her during her childhood. However, Patricia has never confronted her father regarding her emotions. However, she has written a best-selling novel in which parent-child conflict is a major theme.

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  7. George feels that his younger son, Gary, is unattractive and not very smart. He accuses his wife of picking on Gary and favoring their other son.

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  8. When at parties, Patti always tells many stories about associations with many different people. She always says things such as, "Well, when Alison and I were...." and, "You know, last week when I was having dinner with Scott..."

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  9. Gregory wonders if he will be able to get into college. His grades are good, but they are not the best. In an effort to make himself more marketable to colleges, he joins many clubs and takes up playing the violin for a local orchestra.

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  10. Marie wears those youthful clothes and fad hairdos. She apparently just can't see that she doesn't look 30, or even 40, anymore.