Which of the following is/are NOT an ego defense mechanism?
(A) Stress
(B) Denial
(C) Repression
(D) Regression
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → (A) only
(A) Stress Not a defence mechanism (Correct). Stress is the pattern of responses an organism makes to a stimulus event that disturbs its equilibrium and exceeds the person’s ability to cope. It is a state the person goes through, not a way the ego protects itself from anxiety.
(B) Denial A defence mechanism (Incorrect). In denial a person totally refuses to accept reality, as when someone suffering from HIV/AIDS denies the illness altogether.
(C) Repression A defence mechanism (Incorrect). Freud called it the most important one: anxiety-provoking thoughts are totally dismissed by the unconscious, so the person becomes unaware of the wish.
(D) Regression A defence mechanism (Incorrect). It takes a person back to an earlier stage: when problems at a stage are not resolved well, the person shows behaviours typical of a less mature stage of development.
NCERT (2025-26): “Ego Defence Mechanisms … Freud has described many different kinds of defence mechanisms. The most important is repression, in which anxietyprovoking behaviours or thoughts are totally dismissed by the unconscious. When people repress a feeling or desire, they become totally unaware of that wish or desire. Thus, when a person says, ‘I do not know why I did that’, some repressed feeling or desire is expressing itself. 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.…” “…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.…” “Nature, Types and Sources of Stress … Thus, stress can be described as the pattern of responses an organism makes to stimulus event that disturbs the equilibrium and exceeds a person’s ability to cope.…” |