Question

Although Ken uses unethical and deceptive business practices during the work week, he is known as a hardworking volunteer by his church and his community on the weekend. By keeping these two sides of himself in "logic-tight" mental compartments so they do not come in conflict, Ken will experience very little anxiety because he is using the defense mechanism known as

a. compensation
b. identification
c. isolation
d. intellectualization

Answer 1

Ken is using the defense mechanism known as compartmentalization to avoid anxiety, not intellectualization. This process allows him to keep his unethical work behavior separate from his positive community involvement, showing the complexity of moral reasoning.

Step-by-step explanation:

The scenario describes a person, Ken, who is using a defense mechanism to reduce anxiety by separating his unethical work behavior from his positive community involvement. This compartmentalization is not an example of intellectualization, but rather it represents another defense mechanism: compartmentalization. Intellectualization involves using excessive reasoning and logic to avoid emotional stress, whereas compartmentalization is the process of mentally separating conflicting thoughts, emotions, or behaviors to avoid discomfort.

Ken mentally divides his life into distinct segments that do not overlap, allowing him to function in both without internal conflict. This behavior emphasizes the complexity of moral reasoning and behavior, showing that individuals can exhibit sophisticated moral justifications in some areas of life while behaving oppositely in others, a concept explored by Kohlberg's stages of moral development.