regression
Summary
Regression is a Freudian defense mechanism in which a person under stress or anxiety reverts to behavior typical of an earlier, less mature developmental stage, such as an adult throwing a tantrum. The exam tests spotting it in a vignette and telling it apart from other defense mechanisms.
Detail
Meaning: In Freud's psychoanalytic theory, the ego uses defense mechanisms, usually unconsciously, to reduce anxiety. Regression is a retreat to behavior typical of an earlier, less mature stage of development when current demands feel overwhelming. A toilet-trained child who starts wetting the bed after a sibling is born, or an adult who sulks and throws a tantrum after criticism, are standard examples. (In statistics, regression toward the mean is a different idea: extreme measurements tend to be followed by values closer to the average.)
On the MCAT: A vignette describes a person who responds to stress with age-inappropriate behavior, and you choose the defense mechanism from a list that also includes repression, denial, displacement, projection, reaction formation, rationalization and sublimation. The clue is a return to the behavior of an earlier stage, not a changed thought, a redirected target or a hidden memory.
Common confusion: Regression is mixed up with repression, which keeps a threatening thought or memory out of awareness and involves no childlike behavior. It is also confused with fixation, which means being stuck at a stage because of unresolved conflict there. Regression is a return to an earlier stage, typically under stress.
Sources
- Psychology (Myers and DeWall)
- Introduction to Psychology: Gateways to Mind and Behavior
Written for the MCAT and checked before it was published. For study reference only. Spotted an error? Let us know.