FAA Fundamentals of Instructing (FOI)Human Behavior and Effective CommunicationMedium
A flight instructor notices that a student who is clearly very nervous before an upcoming checkride keeps commenting, 'I think the examiner seems really anxious today.' Assuming the examiner shows no unusual behavior, this comment is most likely an example of which defense mechanism?
- AProjection
- BCompensation
- CReaction formation
- DRationalization
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Projection
Projection occurs when a person attributes their own unacceptable feelings or traits to someone else. The student is unconsciously placing his own anxiety onto the examiner rather than acknowledging it in himself.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. Compensation involves offsetting a weakness with strength in another area, which does not fit this scenario.
- C. Reaction formation would involve the student acting overly confident to mask his fear, not attributing feelings to others.
- D. Rationalization would involve excusing his own anxiety with a logical-sounding reason, not assigning it to someone else.
Projection
An ego defense mechanism in which a person attributes their own unacceptable feelings, thoughts, or motives to someone else.
- Shifts uncomfortable internal feelings onto another person
- Common in high-stress or evaluative situations
- Distinct from rationalization, which excuses rather than reassigns feelings
Memory trick: Real Dogs Chase Postmen Rapidly (Repression, Denial, Compensation, Projection, Rationalization, Reaction formation)