Psychology | Portage Learning | Q & A | 2026 Edition
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1. According to Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic theory, which structure of personality operates on the
pleasure principle and seeks immediate gratification?
A) The ego
B) The superego
C) The id
D) The reality principle
Correct Answer: The id
Rationale: The id is the primitive and instinctual part of the personality that operates on the pleasure
principle, seeking immediate gratification of basic needs and desires. The ego operates on the reality
principle, and the superego represents internalized moral standards.
2. Which defense mechanism involves attributing one's own unacceptable thoughts or feelings to
another person?
A) Projection
B) Displacement
C) Rationalization
D) Regression
Correct Answer: Projection
Rationale: Projection is a defense mechanism where a person attributes their own undesirable thoughts,
feelings, or motives to someone else. Displacement redirects impulses to a safer target, rationalization
creates logical excuses, and regression reverts to an earlier stage of development.
,3. A teenager is sexually attracted to a classmate but feels guilty about these feelings. In an effort to
manage this, the teenager becomes highly critical of the classmate's behavior. Which defense
mechanism is this?
A) Reaction formation
B) Sublimation
C) Denial
D) Repression
Correct Answer: Reaction formation
Rationale: Reaction formation is a defense mechanism where a person behaves in a way that is the
opposite of their true feelings. The teenager is expressing criticism (the opposite of attraction) to
manage their guilt. Sublimation channels impulses into acceptable activities, denial refuses to
acknowledge reality, and repression pushes thoughts into the unconscious.
4. According to Carl Jung, the collective unconscious contains:
A) Personal memories and experiences
B) Archetypes, or universal symbols and themes
C) The id, ego, and superego
D) Defense mechanisms
Correct Answer: Archetypes, or universal symbols and themes
Rationale: Jung proposed that the collective unconscious is a part of the unconscious mind shared by all
humans, containing archetypes—universal symbols and themes (e.g., the mother, the hero, the
shadow). The personal unconscious contains individual repressed memories.
5. Alfred Adler's individual psychology emphasizes the importance of:
A) The collective unconscious
B) The inferiority complex and striving for superiority
C) The Oedipus complex
, D) Unconditional positive regard
Correct Answer: The inferiority complex and striving for superiority
Rationale: Adler's theory focuses on the inferiority complex, a feeling of inadequacy that drives people
to strive for superiority and success. The collective unconscious is Jung's concept, the Oedipus complex
is Freud's, and unconditional positive regard is from Rogers' humanistic theory.
6. According to Abraham Maslow's humanistic theory, what is the ultimate goal of human development?
A) To achieve unconditional positive regard
B) To resolve the Oedipus complex
C) To achieve self-actualization
D) To overcome the inferiority complex
Correct Answer: To achieve self-actualization
Rationale: Maslow's hierarchy of needs places self-actualization at the top. Self-actualization is the
process of realizing and fulfilling one's potential. Unconditional positive regard is from Rogers, and the
Oedipus complex and inferiority complex are from Freud and Adler, respectively.
7. Carl Rogers believed that for a person to achieve self-actualization, they need:
A) Unconditional positive regard
B) A strong superego
C) To resolve their psychosexual stages
D) To overcome their archetypes
Correct Answer: Unconditional positive regard
Rationale: Rogers proposed that unconditional positive regard—acceptance and love without conditions
—is essential for a person to develop a healthy self-concept and achieve self-actualization.