FAA Fundamentals of Instructing (FOI)The Learning ProcessHard
After being told by an instructor that unstable approaches must always be discontinued with a go-around, a student who continued an unstable approach and landed hard explains the incident by saying, 'The tower controller's instructions distracted me, so it wasn't really my fault for continuing the approach.' Which defense mechanism is this student most likely displaying?
- ARationalization
- BProjection
- CCompensation
- DRepression
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: B. Projection
Projection is a defense mechanism in which a person attributes their own shortcomings, mistakes, or unacceptable feelings to someone else; here, the student shifts blame for their own decision-making failure onto the controller rather than accepting personal responsibility.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Rationalization involves justifying behavior with a plausible but untrue excuse, while projection specifically blames another person for one's own fault.
- C. Compensation involves covering a weakness by excelling in another area, which does not match this scenario.
- D. Repression involves unconsciously blocking a painful memory or thought from awareness, not blaming someone else.
Projection (Defense Mechanism)
A defense mechanism in which a person attributes their own mistakes, feelings, or shortcomings to another person rather than accepting responsibility.
- Shifts blame onto others
- Distinct from rationalization, which excuses one's own actions
- Common obstacle to honest self-assessment in flight training
Memory trick: Projection = pointing a finger 👉 outward instead of inward