For this assignment, you™ll practice identifying defense mechanisms based on short prompts and write about why you

For this assignment, you’ll practice identifying defense mechanisms based on short prompts and write about why you made the selections you did for each one.

Instructions: For each of the statements below, indicate which of the following defense mechanisms is illustrated and give an explanation of why you selected the defense mechanism you did (note: I did not include denial here for a reason).

     A. Repression                                D. Projection 
     B. Rationalization                          E. Displacement
     C. Reaction formation                   F. Sublimation

1. Bernard often complains about a conviction he received after he inappropriately exposed himself to a group of people at the mall. Bernard has since left his voyeur past behind, and now works as a busy model for Playgirl magazine.

2. Rebecca fiercely forbids her boyfriend from watching pornographic material, lecturing him that it’s disgusting and wrong, despite secretly having her own collection of pornographic material. Rebecca constantly makes a point to convince others of her own purity and goodness.

3. A new intern in the white house is criticized loudly by his boss in front of the president for bringing him the incorrect coffee order. When the intern gets home that night, he harshly punishes his dog for seemingly no reason.

4. As a young child, Macie was in a tragic car accident where her best friend was killed while car-pooling to school. Today as an adult, Macie has forgotten all of the details of that painful event.

5. Ryan is secretly angry with her boyfriend and because of that she feels that he is constantly acting angrily and aggressive towards her.

6. Todd was recently turned down for a position as a bartender at his favorite bar. Afterwards, he claimed that he wouldn’t have enjoyed working at such a slow-paced bar anyways and he’ll probably make more money somewhere else.

7. Margaret has a hidden hatred for her new co-worker that causes her a great deal of anxiety. Yet around her other co-workers, Margaret is always singing the new co-worker’s praises saying she’s the best employee in the company.

8. Zane couldn’t get a date to the Prom so he told all of his friends that he wouldn’t have attended even if someone had asked. He said he already had plans with a friend from out of state, so he was just too busy for a pointless school dance.

9. You and your friends get into a fight with your best friend’s brother Richard who is always the most stubborn, difficult person in the room. After arguing for a few minutes Richard exclaims “you’re the most stubborn girls in the world!”

10. Jamal was bullied all day at school by one of the bigger kids so he comes home and repeatedly attacks his little brother.

11. Adams has been carrying around a phone number in his briefcase for weeks. The number which he is neglecting to call is to a bill collector that he owes a large amount of money to.

12. The best wide receiver at the University of Kentucky just fumbled the ball for a touchdown pass. As he walks over to the sideline, he kicks the watercooler off the stand and punches the wall of the stadium.

13. Prisoners of war sometimes exhibit amnesia after returning home, unable to recall any part of their experience.

14. The mother of an unwanted child may feel guilty about not welcoming her child. As a result, she may try to prove her love by becoming overindulgent and overprotective of the child.

15. A dental technician Beatrice often complains about other women in the office gossiping, yet everyone knows that Beatrice herself is the root of most rumors being spread around.

16. Edward was known as a hyper-active child with a lot of aggression and energy. As he got older, Edward began to channel his energy and aggression into sports by joining both the football and wrestling teams in high school.

17. Daniella is a cigarette addict who insists that she really can’t stand the taste of cigarettes but feels obligated to smoke around her friends to fit in when they’re out at bars.

18. Your friend calls you in tears because her boyfriend has been treating her horribly for the past week. When you ask why he might be acting that way, she replies that all she can think is he’s upset because he just heard he didn’t pass the bar exam as expected, but that’s not her fault!

19. Ted is the most popular dentist in his small town. Many long-time residents of the town joke that they aren’t surprised because he always had a fascination as a child of poking animals and other things with sharp sticks and metal objects.

20. Diana has a growing urge to become a sex worker but fears what will happen if she does. Since those urges began, Diana has been actively working against sex workers by signing petitions to ban protections and reporting even non-explicit images of open sex workers on social media.

21. The biggest couch potato in the dorms who is always asking others to do things for them is quick to criticize other people for being dependent and lazy.

22. After becoming overly confident from his GameStop stock success, Riley has been suffering heavy financial losses from playing more with the stock market. After trading in his brand new Range Rover for an older car, Riley informed his associates that he bought the cheaper car to do his part in the battle against air pollution.