Psychoanalysis Foundational Concepts 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which defense mechanism involves attributing one's own unacceptable feelings or impulses to another person?
- Displacement
- Rationalization
- Projection (Correct answer)
- Introjection
Correct answer: Projection
Projection is the defense mechanism by which individuals attribute their own unconscious impulses or feelings to others.
Question 2: What does Freud's concept of 'primary process thinking' refer to?
- Logical, reality-based thought governed by the ego
- Unconscious, wish-fulfilling thought that ignores logic and time (Correct answer)
- Moral reasoning produced by the superego
- Deliberate problem-solving in the preconscious
Correct answer: Unconscious, wish-fulfilling thought that ignores logic and time
Primary process thinking is the id's mode of mental activity: illogical, timeless, and driven by wish fulfillment and the pleasure principle.
Question 3: In Freudian theory, what is the 'death instinct' (Todestrieb) also known as?
- Eros
- Libido
- Thanatos (Correct answer)
- Mortido
Correct answer: Thanatos
Thanatos is Freud's term for the death instinct, representing drives toward self-destruction and aggression, opposing Eros.
Question 4: Which stage of psychosexual development is associated with the Oedipus complex?
- Oral
- Anal
- Phallic (Correct answer)
- Genital
Correct answer: Phallic
The phallic stage (ages 3–6) is when the Oedipus complex emerges, involving desires for the opposite-sex parent and rivalry with the same-sex parent.
Question 5: What is 'secondary revision' in Freud's dream theory?
- The censor that blocks dream recall upon waking
- The process that makes a dream narrative appear more coherent (Correct answer)
- Symbolic transformation of latent content
- The emotional charge attached to dream images
Correct answer: The process that makes a dream narrative appear more coherent
Secondary revision is the dream-work process that organizes dream elements into a seemingly logical, coherent story.
Question 6: Which mechanism involves channeling unacceptable impulses into socially valued activities?
- Repression
- Reaction formation
- Sublimation (Correct answer)
- Undoing
Correct answer: Sublimation
Sublimation redirects socially unacceptable drives (e.g., aggression, sexuality) into constructive outlets like art, sport, or science.
Question 7: What term describes a patient's unconscious opposition to uncovering repressed material during analysis?
- Transference
- Resistance (Correct answer)
- Countertransference
- Abreaction
Correct answer: Resistance
Resistance refers to unconscious forces that oppose the analytic work and prevent repressed material from becoming conscious.
Psychoanalysis Foundational Concepts 3
Which defense mechanism involves attributing one's own unacceptable feelings or impulses to another person?