In __________ a person defends against anxiety by adopting behaviours opposite to her/his true feelings.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Reaction formation
Option (1) Projection — Incorrect. People attribute their own traits to others: a person with strong aggressive tendencies sees others as acting aggressively towards her or him.
Option (2) Reaction formation — Correct. In reaction formation a person defends against anxiety by adopting behaviours opposite to her or his true feelings. A person with strong sexual urges who channels the energy into religious fervour is the classical example.
Option (3) Rationalisation — Incorrect. Here a person tries to make unreasonable feelings or behaviour seem reasonable, as a student who did poorly in an examination buys a set of new pens and explains it away. The behaviour is justified, not turned into its opposite.
Option (4) Regression — Incorrect. Regression takes a person back to an earlier stage: when the resolution of problems at a stage of development is less than adequate, people display behaviours typical of a less mature stage. The person goes back to childish ways; nothing opposite to the true feeling is shown.
Note: A similar question was also asked in CUET (UG) 2023 on 15-06-2023 (Slot 3), and in CUET (UG) 2026 on 29-05-2026 (Slot 2) and 31-05-2026 (Slot 1).
NCERT (2025-26): “Ego Defence Mechanisms … Other major defence mechanisms are projection, denial, reaction formation and rationalisation. In projection, people attribute their own traits to others. Thus, a person who has strong aggressive tendencies may see other people as acting in an excessively aggressive way towards her/him. In denial, a person totally refuses to accept reality. Thus, someone suffering from HIV/AIDS may altogether deny her/ his illness. In reaction formation, a person defends against anxiety by adopting behaviours opposite to her/his true feelings. A person with strong sexual urges, who channels her/his energy into religious fervour, presents a classical example of reaction formation. In rationalisation, a person tries to make unreasonable feelings or behaviour seem reasonable and acceptable.…” “…Regression is also a likely outcome in such situations. It takes a person back to an earlier stage. Regression occurs when a person’s resolution of problems at any stage of development is less than adequate. In this situation, people display behaviours typical of a less mature stage of development.…” |