A school counsellor explains Freud's view of ego defence mechanisms to a group of students. Which of the following statements are correct?
(A) How the ego deals with anxiety largely determines how people behave.
(B) A defence mechanism is a way of reducing anxiety by distorting reality.
(C) Defence mechanisms try to defend the ego against the awareness of the moral demands of the superego.
(D) People who use defence mechanisms to such an extent that reality is truly distorted develop maladjustment.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → A, B and D only
(A) How the ego deals with anxiety largely determines how people behave. — Correct. Freud held that much behaviour is an attempt to deal with or escape from anxiety. So the way the ego handles anxiety largely shapes behaviour.
(B) A defence mechanism is a way of reducing anxiety by distorting reality. — Correct. A defence mechanism lowers anxiety by bending reality a little, for example by forgetting or excusing something painful.
(C) Defence mechanisms try to defend the ego against the awareness of the moral demands of the superego. — Incorrect. The defence is against awareness of the instinctual needs (the id's urges). One word has been changed.
(D) People who use defence mechanisms to such an extent that reality is truly distorted develop maladjustment. — Correct. Some defence is normal and adaptive. Trouble starts only when the use is so heavy that reality is truly distorted; this leads to maladjustment.
NCERT (2026-27): “Ego Defence Mechanisms |