QUESTIONS ON FREUD’S THEORY
QUESTION 1
Which of the following statement/s about the development of the ego is/are CORRECT,
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
The correct answer is:
(1) (b)
(2) (a) & (c)
(3) (c) & (d)
(4) (a), (c) & (d)
QUESTION 2
___ is an attempt to keep unconscious and threatening psychic material unconscious by
subjectively changing the focus to the drives of other people and ignoring those
impulses within themselves; whilst ___ is a person’s attempt to attempt to explain
behaviour, towards himself or others by providing reasons which sound rational but
are not.
(1) Projection; Rationalisation
(2) Rationalisation; Reaction formation
(3) Repression; Projection
(4) Reaction formation; Rationalisation
QUESTION 3
Suzan was recently retrenched from her work as part of a cost cutting strategy. This
leads her to suffer a depressive episode which culminated in an attempted suicide. Her
attempt to commit suicide is a sign of the ___drive, according to Freud theory.
(1) life
(2) ego
(3) sexual
(4) death
QUESTION 4
Read the statement below and answer the question that follows.
“The ego’s job is to serve the id’s needs by finding suitable objects for real drive
satisfaction” (Moore, Viljoen & Meyer, 2017, p.53). According to Sigmund Freud theory
the ego functions according to the ___ and the ___
(1) primary process; secondary principle
(2) secondary process; tertiary principle
(3) reality principle; primary process
(4) secondary process; reality principle
,QUESTION 5
Michael is a contract worker in the construction industry. He constantly experiences
strong aggressive wishes in relation to his boss who has been promising him a
permanent position for the past three years. These are in conflict with his moral views
and therefore, he banishes these from his thoughts to his unconscious so that he will
no longer be consciously aware of them.
What defence mechanism is Michael using according to Freud theory?
(1) Displacement and sublimation
(2) Rationalisation
(3) Repression
(4) Reaction formation
QUESTION 6
In terms of Freud's theory, a young boy handles his unacceptable sexual desire for his
mother and his hostility towards his father, by means of and ___.
(a) repression
(b) denial
(c) regression
(d) identification
The correct answer is:
(1) (b) & (c)
(2) (a) & (d)
(3) (a) & (c)
(4) (b) & (d)
QUESTION 7
The ego’s investment of psychic energy in certain object is known as …
(1) life drives
(2) cathexis
(3) death drive
(4) anticathexis
QUESTION 8
Which of the following statements is/are Incorrect regarding the main task of the ego
according to Freud?
(a) Maximise satisfaction to the id while minimising guilt feelings from the superego
(b) Bring immediate satisfaction to the id, while delaying satisfaction to the superego
(c) Create fantasies of desired objects to meet the needs of the id, while taking reality into account with
regards to the superego
(d) Repress id wishes and to fulfil superego demands
The correct answer is:
(1) (a)
(2) (a) & (b)
(3) (c)
(4) (b), (c) & (d)
,QUESTION 9
Which one of the following alternatives best expresses Freud's view with regard to the
influence of environmental factors on the development of the individual?
(1) Freud's viewpoint is known as psychic determinism, and this means that development is mainly
determined by psychic factors within the individual
(2) Freud's viewpoint is known as biological determinism, and this means that development is mainly
determined by biological factors
(3) Environmental influences play only a minor role in determining development
(4) Although the developmental stages are determined by biological factors, environmental factors
determine how the individual will handle the problems of each stage
QUESTION 10
Mrs Van der Poel has four children and she brought each of them up in a different way.
Which of her children do you think would possibly become fixated in a specific
developmental stage?
(a) Jannie is already two years old and is still breastfed whenever he has a need for it. Jannie enjoys his
mother's excessive love very much
(b) His sister, Susan, was weaned at four months and is very frustrated with the situation
(c) Mrs Van der Poel was relaxed with Kosie's potty training. If he had an accident, she did not fuss too
much and when he did "perform" she made a big fuss of him
(d) With Johan, Mrs Van der Poel believed that his potty training would be that much quicker if she
made him keenly aware of his mistakes. Although she never smacked him, she teased him unmercifully
if he had an accident in his nappy
The correct answer is:
(1) The daughter, Susan.
(2) All three boys, Jannie, Kosie and Johan.
(3) Susan and Johan.
(4) Jannie, Susan and Johan.
QUESTION 11
According to Freud, a psychically healthy person's
(1) drives are satisfied before they become uncontrollable
(2) sexual drives are successfully directed towards reproduction
(3) sexual and aggressive drives are satisfied through sublimation
(4) id drives and ego wishes are usually in harmony with one another
QUESTION 12
John is in a same sex relation and has been described by his partner as having an
excessive dependence on others for approval, highly possessive and a jealous lover.
According to Freud, John excessive dependence on other people and his jealousy are
evidence of fixation in (a) ___ stage, whereas his homosexuality is indicative of fixation
in the (b) ___ stage.
(1) (a) oral (b) genital
(2) (a) anal (b) phallic
(3) (a) oral (b) phallic
(4) (a) phallic (b) oral
, QUESTION 13
According to Freud, the ego is strong and effective when it
(a) stands in opposition to the superego
(b) opposes the id
(c) opposes the death drive
(d) is capable of compromise
The correct answer is:
(1) All of the above
(2) (a), (b) & (d)
(3) (a) & (b)
(4) (d)
QUESTION 14
___ is a technique where stimulus words are used to which the patient must respond
by revealing everything that comes to mind
(1) Free association
(2) Parapraxes
(3) Dream analysis
(4) Psychoanalysis
QUESTION 15
Mr Wilson is described by his colleagues and staff as a perfectionist and a shrewd
businessman who has an amazing knack for saving his company vast sums of money.
He is methodical, organised and meticulous. According to Freud, Mr Wilson could be
described as having a/an
1. genital personality
2. anal personality
3. oral personality
4. latent personality
QUESTION 16
According to Freud's theory, which one of the following persons has the strongest ego?
(1) Peter, who can cope with the demands of reality and is less anxious because he makes use of a
variety of defence mechanisms
(2) Sean, who does not have to develop rational skills for drive satisfaction, as he has such a good,
protective mother
(3) John, who copes with the demands of reality, is less anxious and therefore uses fewer, but more
effective defence mechanisms
(4) James, who has an extremely strong superego which copes with the id impulses
QUESTION 17
According to Freudian theory, neurotic anxiety is caused by
(1) fear of punishment from the superego if id drives should be expressed
(2) continuous pressure and conflict in people’s social lives
(3) a forbidden unconscious drive threatening to surface
(4) fear that the ego will not meet the demands of reality
