Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Practice Examination

According to Freud, what are unconscious processes that protect the self from anxiety called?

1. Coping strategies

2. Defense mechanisms

3. Adjustment behaviors

4. Resilience techniques

The correct answer is: Defense mechanisms

The correct answer is defense mechanisms. In Freudian theory, defense mechanisms are unconscious psychological strategies that individuals employ to manage anxiety and protect the ego from distressing thoughts or feelings. These mechanisms operate unconsciously and help individuals cope with reality and maintain a stable self-image. For instance, when faced with an uncomfortable thought or situation, a person might use repression to push it out of their conscious awareness, or projection to attribute their feelings to someone else. Other defense mechanisms include denial, displacement, rationalization, and sublimation. Each of these actions serves to mitigate feelings of anxiety by distorting reality in some way, allowing the person to maintain psychological equilibrium. While coping strategies, adjustment behaviors, and resilience techniques are all important concepts in psychological functioning, they generally refer to more conscious and adaptive responses to stress rather than the unconscious, often involuntary processes outlined by Freud.