Question

A young mother is angry with the mess her son has made in his room. She yells at him and tells him to stay in his room until it is cleaned up. About 20 minutes later, the mother enters the boys room offering him milk and cookies. Which ego defense mechanism is the mother using?

a. Restitution
b. Regression
c. Reaction formation
d. Conversion reaction

Answer 1

The mother is using the ego defense mechanism of regression.

Step-by-step explanation:

The ego defense mechanism that the mother is using in this situation is regression. Regression is when an individual reverts to a more immature behavior or stage to cope with anxiety or stress. In this case, the mother enters the boy's room offering him milk and cookies, which is a behavior more characteristic of nurturing a younger child. This can be seen as a way for the mother to alleviate her own guilt or frustration by temporarily becoming more nurturing and comforting.