Your 5-year-old brother is the baby of the family. When your mother gives birth to another child, your brother begins to soil his underwear, and your mother is forced to put him back in diapers. Which of the following defense mechanisms is he using?

Question

(1 point)
Responses

reaction formation
reaction formation

rationalization
rationalization

regression
regression

repression

Answer 1

Your brother is exhibiting regression. Regression is a defense mechanism where an individual reverts to behaviors characteristic of an earlier stage of development in response to stress or anxiety. In this case, your brother has started soiling his underwear and requires diapers again, which suggests he is reverting to a more infantile state due to the stress of a new sibling's arrival.