Krish has unconscious aggressive feelings towards his father. He however refuses to accept this and instead feels that his father is very aggressive towards him. According to psychodynamic theory, which ego defence mechanism does it reflect?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Projection
Option (1) Repression — Incorrect. In repression, anxiety-provoking thoughts are totally dismissed by the unconscious, and the person becomes unaware of the wish. Krish’s aggressive feeling has not vanished from his mind; it reappears as something he sees in his father.
Option (2) Denial — Incorrect. In denial, a person totally refuses to accept reality, as when someone with a serious illness denies having it. Krish does refuse to accept his feeling, but he also places it on his father, and that further step marks a different mechanism.
Option (3) Projection — Correct. In projection, people attribute their own traits to others. A person who has strong aggressive tendencies may see other people as acting in an excessively aggressive way towards her/him, which is what Krish does with his father.
Option (4) Rationalization — Incorrect. In rationalisation, a person tries to make unreasonable feelings or behaviour seem reasonable and acceptable, like the student who buys new pens after doing poorly and says, “I will do much better with these pens”. Krish gives no excuse for his feeling.
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.…” “Ego Defence Mechanisms … The most important is repression, in which anxiety-provoking behaviours or thoughts are totally dismissed by the unconscious.…” |