Mahmoud was just told that his father has cancer. Mahmoud's first response is that there must be a mistake and he demands that the doctor repeat his tests. Which defense mechanism is at work here?

A) reaction formation
B) denial
C) repression
D) undoing


Answer: B
Rationale: According to Freud, denial is a defense mechanism where there is resistance to perceiving what actually occurs. In this example, Mahmound does not want to acknowledge that his father has cancer, so he does not perceive the diagnosis as real.

Psychology

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