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2 PYC2601 Personology – Exam Questions and Answers
Assignment 1 – Semester 1 – 2017
QUESTIONS ON FREUD’S THEORY
QUESTION 1
Which of the following statement/s about the development of the ego is/are INCORRECT, according
to Freud's theory?
a) The ego begins to develop during the first year of life and is fully developed by the age of six.
b) The ego begins to develop during the first year of life and continues to do so throughout a
person's life.
c) The ego begins to develop during the genital stage and continues to do so throughout the
remainder of a person's life.
d) The ego begins to develop during the first year of life and continues to do so provided the
individual does not become fixated at a particular stage.
Answer: The correct answer is 4
Refer: Tutorial Letter 201/1/2017
Reasoning: Freud has made it very clear in his theory that the ego begins to develop during the
first year of life and continues to change throughout a person’s life because it learns
through experience, learns new ways of drive satisfaction, and learns to adapt to
changing id drives and circumstances in physical and social reality. Therefore, the
correct alternative is (4) since you were requested to choose the incorrect
statement/s.
QUESTION 2
Last week Tuesday things went terribly wrong for Ntswaki at work. When she got home she attacked
her husband and their children verbally for no apparent reason. The following day she accused them
of being mean and inconsiderate. What defence mechanism was Ntswaki using according to Freud?
Answer: The correct answer is 1
Refer: Tutorial Letter 201/1/2017
Reasoning: Ntswaki was mean towards her husband and children and in turn accused them of
being mean towards her. Freud described projection as an attempt to keep
unconscious psychic material unconscious by subjectively changing the focus to the
drives of other people. This makes alternative (1) the correct answer since the stem
of the question fits with the description outlined in the above scenario. Refer to the
prescribed book and check how rationalization, displacement and reaction
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3 PYC2601 Personology – Exam Questions and Answers
formation are described for further clarity on why those cannot be chosen as the
correct answers.
QUESTION 3
According to Freud, one of the differences between healthy and psychologically disturbed people is
in the types of defence mechanisms the two employ to cope with psychic conflicts. Compared to
disturbed individuals, psychologically healthy people are more successful at employing the defence
mechanisms of
1. Displacement and identification
2. Displacement and sublimation
3. Reaction formation and sublimation
4. Identification and rationalization
Answer: The correct answer is 2
Refer: Tutorial Letter 201/1/2017
Reasoning: Displacement is described as a way of finding a substitute for the object that
society’s moral codes forbid and using the substitute object for drive satisfaction.
The psychic energy that was invested in the forbidden object is thus displaced to the
substitute object. The relative success of displacement is due to the fact that excess
energy can be directed to a substitute object, for example, a child could be weaned
onto a bottle. Although the bottle may not completely substitute the pleasure of
sucking the mother’s breast, but it reduces the excess energy to manageable levels.
If excess energy is reduced by finding displacement objects or actions which are
regarded as socially or culturally viable, this process is referred to as sublimation. An
example could be a form of anger and /or aggression management implemented
through punching a boxing bag to release the excess energy. Compared to other
listed defence mechanisms above (check the prescribed book for full descriptions),
displacement and sublimation are regarded as effective means of reducing excess
energy. Alternative (2) is therefore the correct answer.
QUESTION 4
Margie visits a therapist about her sudden compulsion to clean everything in sight. She cleans her
house twice a day and cannot relax if there is so much as an unwashed plate in sight. She tells the
therapist she is a devoted Christian and enjoys a close, warm relationship with her boyfriend.
Although the couple is comfortable about their decision to abstain from sexual relations until after
marriage, Margie's compulsion for cleanliness and neatness is causing disunion in the relationship.
According to Freud, Margie could be described as experiencing
1. reality anxiety
2. neurotic anxiety
3. moral anxiety
4. neurotic and moral anxiety
Answer: The correct answer is 4
Refer: Tutorial Letter 201/1/2017
Reasoning: Freud describes anxiety as the ego’s reaction to danger, and it is as a result of the
conflict between the id’s forbidden drives and the superego’s moral codes. Reality
anxiety is a reaction to actual or real dangers in the external environment, whereas
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