PSY 255 QUIZ 2 PRACTICE EXAM Complete
Exam Solution 2026/2027.
DOMAIN 1: NEO-FREUDIAN & EGO PSYCHOLOGY (10 Questions)
Question 1 (Multiple-Choice)
Sub-Topic: Reaction Formation
Dr. Chen is treating a 42-year-old male patient who presents with what appears to be excessive
devotion to his elderly, dependent mother. The patient spends hours daily tending to her needs,
publicly praises her parenting, and becomes distressed when anyone suggests she was
emotionally unavailable during his childhood. During a private therapy session, the patient
reveals intense resentment toward his mother for her controlling behavior and for favoring his
younger brother. Which defense mechanism best explains this clinical presentation?
A) Sublimation—channeling unacceptable hostility into socially acceptable caregiving
B) Displacement—redirecting anger from the mother onto other authority figures
C) Reaction Formation—transforming unconscious hostility into exaggerated, opposite
affection [CORRECT]
D) Projection—attributing one's own hostility onto the mother
Rationale: Reaction formation is an ego defense mechanism in which an individual transforms an
unacceptable unconscious impulse into its behavioral opposite. In this vignette, the patient's
deep hostility toward his dependent mother (the unacceptable impulse) is defended against by
manifesting as exaggerated public affection and caregiving (the opposite behavior). The
excessive, almost performative quality of the devotion—coupled with the patient's private
revelation of true resentment—are the hallmark clinical indicators of reaction formation. This
mechanism allows the ego to keep the threatening impulse out of conscious awareness while
simultaneously providing a socially acceptable behavioral facade.
Question 2 (Multiple-Choice)
,Sub-Topic: Reaction Formation
A college student, Marcus, harbors unconscious homoerotic desires that conflict with his strict
religious upbringing. He becomes the president of his campus's anti-LGBTQ advocacy group,
delivers fiery speeches condemning homosexuality, and aggressively confronts peers he suspects
of being gay. His therapist notes that Marcus's activism is disproportionately intense and that he
becomes visibly anxious when discussing same-sex relationships in abstract terms. Which defense
mechanism is operating?
A) Denial—refusing to acknowledge the existence of any same-sex attraction
B) Reaction Formation—converting unconscious homoerotic impulses into exaggerated
public opposition [CORRECT]
C) Rationalization—justifying his activism through religious doctrine
D) Identification with the aggressor—adopting the values of his religious authority figures
Rationale: Reaction formation is the correct mechanism. Marcus's unconscious homoerotic
desires (the unacceptable impulse) are transformed into their behavioral opposite: exaggerated,
aggressive public opposition to homosexuality. The disproportionate intensity of his activism, his
anxiety when discussing the topic abstractly (suggesting proximity to the repressed impulse), and
the public performative nature of his behavior are classic diagnostic indicators. The ego employs
reaction formation to maintain the repression by overcompensating in the opposite direction,
creating a behavioral facade that "proves" the impulse does not exist.
Question 3 (True/False)
Sub-Topic: Reaction Formation
A woman who unconsciously resents her newborn child for the demands of motherhood
becomes obsessively attentive, posting daily social media updates about her "perfect" bond with
the baby and criticizing other mothers for being insufficiently devoted. This is an example of
reaction formation.
TRUE [CORRECT]
Rationale: This is a classic reaction formation. The unconscious resentment toward the child (an
unacceptable impulse for a mother) is transformed into its opposite: exaggerated, performative
, maternal devotion. The obsessive quality, the public display, and the criticism of others
(projecting her own feared inadequacy) are all hallmark features. The ego maintains the
repression of hostility by generating excessive opposite behavior, which serves as both a defense
and a public performance designed to convince the self and others of the non-existence of the
underlying impulse.
Question 4 (Multiple-Choice)
Sub-Topic: Jung's Analytical Psychology & Shadow Archetype
During a Jungian analysis, a 35-year-old corporate attorney describes himself as "exclusively
rational, disciplined, and morally upright." He reports that he cannot understand why he
periodically experiences intense, violent fantasies during meditation and has recurring dreams of
a dark, primitive figure chasing him through a forest. Dr. Jung would interpret the dark figure in
the dream as:
A) The Persona—a social mask that has become too rigid and is now threatening the ego
B) The Anima—the feminine aspect of the male psyche seeking integration
C) The Shadow—the dark, repressed side of the personality containing primitive, aggressive
impulses [CORRECT]
D) The Self—the archetype of wholeness and the integration of opposites
Rationale: In Jung's analytical psychology, the Shadow is the archetype representing the dark,
unconscious, and repressed aspects of the personality—everything the conscious ego does not
wish to acknowledge about itself. The attorney's rigid identification with rationality and moral
uprightness has created a severe repression of his aggressive, primitive impulses. The dark figure
chasing him symbolizes the Shadow's attempt to force recognition; the more the ego denies
these aspects, the more threatening and autonomous the Shadow becomes in dreams and
fantasies. Jungian therapy would aim at integrating the Shadow rather than further repressing it.
Question 5 (SATA - Select All That Apply)
Sub-Topic: Jung's Analytical Psychology & Shadow Archetype
Exam Solution 2026/2027.
DOMAIN 1: NEO-FREUDIAN & EGO PSYCHOLOGY (10 Questions)
Question 1 (Multiple-Choice)
Sub-Topic: Reaction Formation
Dr. Chen is treating a 42-year-old male patient who presents with what appears to be excessive
devotion to his elderly, dependent mother. The patient spends hours daily tending to her needs,
publicly praises her parenting, and becomes distressed when anyone suggests she was
emotionally unavailable during his childhood. During a private therapy session, the patient
reveals intense resentment toward his mother for her controlling behavior and for favoring his
younger brother. Which defense mechanism best explains this clinical presentation?
A) Sublimation—channeling unacceptable hostility into socially acceptable caregiving
B) Displacement—redirecting anger from the mother onto other authority figures
C) Reaction Formation—transforming unconscious hostility into exaggerated, opposite
affection [CORRECT]
D) Projection—attributing one's own hostility onto the mother
Rationale: Reaction formation is an ego defense mechanism in which an individual transforms an
unacceptable unconscious impulse into its behavioral opposite. In this vignette, the patient's
deep hostility toward his dependent mother (the unacceptable impulse) is defended against by
manifesting as exaggerated public affection and caregiving (the opposite behavior). The
excessive, almost performative quality of the devotion—coupled with the patient's private
revelation of true resentment—are the hallmark clinical indicators of reaction formation. This
mechanism allows the ego to keep the threatening impulse out of conscious awareness while
simultaneously providing a socially acceptable behavioral facade.
Question 2 (Multiple-Choice)
,Sub-Topic: Reaction Formation
A college student, Marcus, harbors unconscious homoerotic desires that conflict with his strict
religious upbringing. He becomes the president of his campus's anti-LGBTQ advocacy group,
delivers fiery speeches condemning homosexuality, and aggressively confronts peers he suspects
of being gay. His therapist notes that Marcus's activism is disproportionately intense and that he
becomes visibly anxious when discussing same-sex relationships in abstract terms. Which defense
mechanism is operating?
A) Denial—refusing to acknowledge the existence of any same-sex attraction
B) Reaction Formation—converting unconscious homoerotic impulses into exaggerated
public opposition [CORRECT]
C) Rationalization—justifying his activism through religious doctrine
D) Identification with the aggressor—adopting the values of his religious authority figures
Rationale: Reaction formation is the correct mechanism. Marcus's unconscious homoerotic
desires (the unacceptable impulse) are transformed into their behavioral opposite: exaggerated,
aggressive public opposition to homosexuality. The disproportionate intensity of his activism, his
anxiety when discussing the topic abstractly (suggesting proximity to the repressed impulse), and
the public performative nature of his behavior are classic diagnostic indicators. The ego employs
reaction formation to maintain the repression by overcompensating in the opposite direction,
creating a behavioral facade that "proves" the impulse does not exist.
Question 3 (True/False)
Sub-Topic: Reaction Formation
A woman who unconsciously resents her newborn child for the demands of motherhood
becomes obsessively attentive, posting daily social media updates about her "perfect" bond with
the baby and criticizing other mothers for being insufficiently devoted. This is an example of
reaction formation.
TRUE [CORRECT]
Rationale: This is a classic reaction formation. The unconscious resentment toward the child (an
unacceptable impulse for a mother) is transformed into its opposite: exaggerated, performative
, maternal devotion. The obsessive quality, the public display, and the criticism of others
(projecting her own feared inadequacy) are all hallmark features. The ego maintains the
repression of hostility by generating excessive opposite behavior, which serves as both a defense
and a public performance designed to convince the self and others of the non-existence of the
underlying impulse.
Question 4 (Multiple-Choice)
Sub-Topic: Jung's Analytical Psychology & Shadow Archetype
During a Jungian analysis, a 35-year-old corporate attorney describes himself as "exclusively
rational, disciplined, and morally upright." He reports that he cannot understand why he
periodically experiences intense, violent fantasies during meditation and has recurring dreams of
a dark, primitive figure chasing him through a forest. Dr. Jung would interpret the dark figure in
the dream as:
A) The Persona—a social mask that has become too rigid and is now threatening the ego
B) The Anima—the feminine aspect of the male psyche seeking integration
C) The Shadow—the dark, repressed side of the personality containing primitive, aggressive
impulses [CORRECT]
D) The Self—the archetype of wholeness and the integration of opposites
Rationale: In Jung's analytical psychology, the Shadow is the archetype representing the dark,
unconscious, and repressed aspects of the personality—everything the conscious ego does not
wish to acknowledge about itself. The attorney's rigid identification with rationality and moral
uprightness has created a severe repression of his aggressive, primitive impulses. The dark figure
chasing him symbolizes the Shadow's attempt to force recognition; the more the ego denies
these aspects, the more threatening and autonomous the Shadow becomes in dreams and
fantasies. Jungian therapy would aim at integrating the Shadow rather than further repressing it.
Question 5 (SATA - Select All That Apply)
Sub-Topic: Jung's Analytical Psychology & Shadow Archetype
