Ted has always felt inferior intellectually. He currently works out at the gym for four hours daily and is taking massive doses of steroids to build his muscles. The ego defense mechanism in action here is

Ted has always felt inferior intellectually. He currently works out at the gym for four hours daily and is taking massive doses of steroids to build his muscles. The ego defense mechanism in action here is

• A. Sublimation
• B. Introjection
• C. Projection
• D. Compensation

Answer: (D)

When someone feels inferior in one area, they often try to shore up their self-esteem by emphasizing or excelling in a different area. In this case, Ted perceives himself as intellectually inferior, and he responds by investing heavily in physical prowess—long workouts and steroid use—to make up for that perceived weakness. This is compensation: using a strength in one domain to offset a deficit in another, in order to protect self-image. Sublimation would involve transforming unacceptable impulses into a constructive outlet, which isn’t the core motive here. Introjection means adopting others’ beliefs or attributes as one’s own, and projection involves blaming or attributing one’s own unacceptable qualities to others. None of these describe Ted’s drive to bolster his status through physical enhancement to counter feelings of intellectual inferiority.

When someone feels inferior in one area, they often try to shore up their self-esteem by emphasizing or excelling in a different area. In this case, Ted perceives himself as intellectually inferior, and he responds by investing heavily in physical prowess—long workouts and steroid use—to make up for that perceived weakness. This is compensation: using a strength in one domain to offset a deficit in another, in order to protect self-image.

Sublimation would involve transforming unacceptable impulses into a constructive outlet, which isn’t the core motive here. Introjection means adopting others’ beliefs or attributes as one’s own, and projection involves blaming or attributing one’s own unacceptable qualities to others. None of these describe Ted’s drive to bolster his status through physical enhancement to counter feelings of intellectual inferiority.