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Question

A person copes with anxiety by retreating to a childish or earlier forms of behaviour is called :

The correct answer is
Regression

Anxiety Coping: Understanding Regression

The question describes a psychological coping mechanism where an individual reverts to earlier, more childlike behaviors when dealing with anxiety or stress. This defense mechanism is known as Regression.

Key Concept: Defense Mechanisms

Defense mechanisms are unconscious psychological strategies used to cope with reality and maintain self-image. They help reduce anxiety arising from unacceptable thoughts or feelings.

Analyzing the Options:

  • Regression: This is the correct answer. It involves returning to an earlier developmental stage (like childhood) and displaying behaviors associated with that stage when faced with stress or anxiety. For example, an adult becoming overly dependent or throwing tantrums when stressed.
  • Repression: This involves unconsciously blocking unwanted thoughts or memories from entering conscious awareness. It's about forgetting or pushing away, not reverting to childlike behavior.
  • Rationalization: This involves creating logical-sounding excuses or explanations for behaviors or feelings that might otherwise be unacceptable. It’s about justifying actions, not reverting to earlier behaviors.
  • Identification: This involves unconsciously adopting characteristics, behaviors, or attitudes of another person (often someone admired or perceived as powerful) to cope with anxiety or enhance self-esteem.

Therefore, reverting to childish behavior to cope with anxiety is specifically termed Regression.

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Important Questions from Personality

  1. Read each of the following two statements – Assertion (A) and Reason (R); and indicate your answer using codes given below :
    Assertion (A) : According to Rollo May, to grow psychologically, our values must be constantly challenged.
    Reason (R) : Rollo May proposed that Neurotic anxiety occurs when our values are challenged.
  2. People tend to be in better physical health and are better able to cope with stress when they are provided with
    a. Physical comfort
    b. Moral comfort
    c. Psychological comfort
    d. Ideological comfort
  3. The fear of one’s own potential greatness and the ambivalent feelings toward greatness in others is called
  4. Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer by choosing from the codes given below : 

    List – I
    (Concept)
    List – II
    (Meaning)
    a. Daseini. Physical, objective world
    b. Umweltii. Human interactions
    c. Eigen welt   iii. Individual as being in tde world
    d. Mitweltiv. Self-awareness
  5. Read each of the following two statements – Assertion (A) and Reason (R); and indicate your answer using codes given below :
    Assertion (A) : According to Adler, a child’s birth order is important in shaping his/her personality.
    Reason (R) : There are unique experiences associated with birth order of every child.
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