Theories of Personality & Defense Mechanisms MCQs

Sigmund Freud focused primarily on repression as the central defense mechanism . Anna Freud greatly elaborated on individual defense mechanisms, including Reaction formation Regression Undoing Introjection Identification Projection Turning against the self Reversal Sublimation. George Valiant classified defence mechanisms into Narcissistic Immature Neurotic Mature levels Victor Frankl however, has no contribution to describing defense mechanisms. (Option D) Reference : Kaplan and Sadock’s Synopsis of Psychiatry, 11 th edition, Chapter 4 Theories of Personality and Psychopathology, Page number 177.

Regression is the defence that refers to the reversion to the early stage of ego functioning . Each and every person has defences to deal with stress. Some of them are mature defences → altruism, sublimation, suppression and humour. Some are immature and neurotic defences → displacement, isolation regression and projection. Isolation : thoughts, emotions or behaviour is isolated to break the link with other thoughts or memories ( Option B ) Projection : unacceptable thoughts, emotions and feelings are projected on to some other person ( Option C ) In displacement , emotions or wishes are transferred from the original object or person to a more suitable substitute ( Option A ) Reference: Synopsis of Psychiatry, eleventh edition, chapter 4, page no. 161

Id largely operates at unconscious However, ego and superego operate at all three levels of conscious, preconscious and unconscious. Reference : Kaplan and Sadock’s Synopsis of Psychiatry, 11 th edition, Chapter 4 Theories of Personality and Psychopathology, Page number 154.

The structural model of mind proposed by Sigmund Freud consists of Id, Ego and Superego. Id works on pleasure principle . Freud used the term id to refer to a reservoir of unorganized instinctual drives . The id lacks the capacity to delay or modify the instinctual drives with which an infant is born. (Option B is FALSE) Ego works on reality principle . It works as a balance between ego and superego. Superego works on morality principle and guides a person what not to do. Reference : Kaplan and Sadock’s Synopsis of Psychiatry, 11 th edition, Chapter 4 Theories of Personality and Psychopathology, Page number 159.

The age of criminal responsibility is the age below which a child is deemed incapable of having committed a criminal offence. In legal terms, it is referred to as a defence of infancy , which is a form of defense known as an excuse so that defendants falling within the definition of an "infant" are excluded from criminal liability for their actions , if at the relevant time, they had not reached an age of criminal responsibility. Nothing is an offence which is done by a child under Indian Penal Code the age of seven years . The age of criminal responsibility is raised to 12 years if the child is found to have not attained the ability of understanding the nature and consequences of his act. Reference : https://www.unicef-irc.org/portfolios/documents/394_india.htm

Altruism is a type of higher or mature defence mechanism . (Option B) In this, a person deals with inner conflict or any stress by helping others or fulfilling the needs of others. Reaction formation is seen in the patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder ; here the attitude is opposed to the oppressed wish and constitutes the opposite reaction. ( Option D ) Humour is also a mature defence in which a person deals with stress by giving it a humorous form or takes things lightly in a jovial way ( Option C ) Reference: Synopsis of Psychiatry, eleventh edition, chapter 4, page no. 161