Humanities in Social Sciences

1. Defense Mechanism Scenarios

2. #1
You receive a poor grade on a test, and you
believe that the test was unfair. When you speak
to the teacher, he says “Sorry, you’ll just have to
study harder next time”. When you arrive home,
you yell at your roommate because the house is
messy.

3. #2
You are envious of a friend’s new car. The next
time you and your friends are driving around
town, you see a car just like it, driven by a
stranger, “ I bet that girl is a spoiled brat”.

4. #3
You are watching your favorite TV show, when a
sudden news flash interrupts the program. The
newscaster reports that a horrible accident has
occurred in your hometown, in which dozens of
people have been killed. You switch the channel
to watch something else and try not to think
about it.

5. #4
Your friend enjoys smoking. When you express
concern about your friend’s health and show her
some articles about the risks of smoking, she
says, “That’s just government propaganda!”

6. #5
You are attending a sponsored lunch, with free
boxed lunches. The food looks really good, so
you take two boxes, telling yourself, “I won’t
have one the next time”.

7. #6
Your friend offers to give you the answers to an
Abnormal Psychology test, which he took early.
You agree, thinking to yourself, “If my teacher
were better, I wouldn’t be forced to cheat”.

8. #7
You develop a crush on a friend. Every time you
see this friend, you tease and criticize him or
her.

9. #8
You don’t like your boss. Each morning, when
she comes in to work you act especially nice to
her and even buy her flowers on her birthday.

10. #9
You tend to procrastinate, but you’re
embarrassed about this quality. Any time you
see someone else procrastinating, you say, “He
must really be lazy!”

11. #10
You are experiencing problems in your romantic
relationship. When you read a tabloid article
about celebrities whose relationships are on the
rocks, you tell your friend “They’re probably
going to split up”.

12. #1
You receive a poor grade on a test, and you
believe that the test was unfair. When you speak
to the teacher, he says “Sorry, you’ll just have to
study harder next time”. When you arrive home,
you yell at your roommate because the house is
messy.
ANSWER: Displacement

13. #2
You are envious of a friend’s new car. The next
time you and your friends are driving around
town, you see a car just like it, driven by a
stranger, “ I bet that girl is a spoiled brat”.
ANSWER: Displacement

14. #3
You are watching your favorite TV show, when a
sudden news flash interrupts the program. The
newscaster reports that a horrible accident has
occurred in your hometown, in which dozens of
people have been killed. You switch the channel
to watch something else and try not to think
about it.
ANSWER: Suppression

15. #4
Your friend enjoys smoking. When you express
concern about your friend’s health and show her
some articles about the risks of smoking, she
says, “That’s just government propaganda!”
ANSWER: Denial

16. #5
You are attending a sponsored lunch, with free
boxed lunches. The food looks really good, so
you take two boxes, telling yourself, “I won’t
have one the next time”.
ANSWER: Rationalization

17. #6
Your friend offers to give you the answers to an
Abnormal Psychology test, which he took early.
You agree, thinking to yourself, “If my teacher
were better, I wouldn’t be forced to cheat”.
ANSWER: Rationalization

18. #7
You develop a crush on a friend. Every time you
see this friend, you tease and criticize him or
her.
ANSWER: Reaction Formation

19. #8
You don’t like your boss. Each morning, when
she comes in to work you act especially nice to
her and even buy her flowers on her birthday.
ANSWER: Reaction Formation

20. #9
You tend to procrastinate, but you’re
embarrassed about this quality. Any time you
see someone else procrastinating, you say, “He
must really be lazy!”
ANSWER: Projection

21. #10
You are experiencing problems in your romantic
relationship. When you read a tabloid article
about celebrities whose relationships are on the
rocks, you tell your friend “They’re probably
going to split up”.
ANSWER: Projection