Review Question - QID 105742

Altruism is constructive service to others that brings pleasure and personal satisfaction. It is a mature defense mechanism.

Individuals use altruism to help others as a response to their own personal problems. Altruism is separate from reaction formation, in which individuals convert unwanted impulses or wishes to their opposites, because individuals do not overcompensate for inward problems but instead choose behavior that is consistent with inward ideals. Conversely, in reaction formation, the individual does the opposite to what he or she truly desires.

Whitty discusses the use of defense mechanisms by age group, reporting that while younger individuals use less mature and more immature defense mechanisms than middle-aged or older groups, middle-aged and older participants did not exhibit significant differences in their use of defense mechanisms.

Sanstrom et al. review the use of defense mechanisms in childhood. Children who used immature defense mechanisms reported higher levels of social anxiety and depression than their peers, while children who used mature defense mechanisms scored higher on assessments of competence in social, athletic, and academic realms.

Incorrect Answers:
Answer 2: Realistic planning for future discomfort defines anticipation, a mature defense mechanism.
Answer 3: The unconscious modeling of one's self upon another person's character and behavior defines identification, a mature defense mechanism.
Answer 4: Fantasy, an immature defense mechanism, is the tendency to retreat into fantasy in order to resolve inner and outer conflicts.
Answer 5: Reaction formation, a neurotic defense mechanism, is the act of converting unconscious wishes or impulses that are perceived to be dangerous into their opposites.