After failure in the examination student blames his teachers and parents. This behavior is an example of?

PGIMS Rohtak NO - 2017

Applied Psychology

Medium

Appeared in: PGIMS Rohtak NO - 2017

Explanation

Projection is an ego defense mechanism where an individual unconsciously attributes their own unacceptable thoughts, feelings, or failures to someone else.
In the given scenario, the student is unable to cope with the anxiety and ego threat of their own failure.
To protect their self-esteem, the student shifts the responsibility and blame for the failure onto external figures—the teachers and parents.
This act of blaming others for one's own mistake is the classic definition of projection.

Option A: Rationalization involves creating a logical-sounding excuse to justify a failure, not blaming a person directly. The student is not making an excuse like 'the exam was too hard'; they are directly blaming others.
Option B: Compensation involves making up for a perceived weakness by excelling in another area. The scenario describes blaming, not an attempt to excel in another field like sports or arts.
Option D: Displacement involves redirecting emotions (like anger) towards a less threatening target. The student is blaming the perceived source of the problem (teachers, parents), not redirecting feelings onto a safer, unrelated target (like a pet or a younger sibling).

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Ego Defense Mechanisms as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Understanding defense mechanisms is vital for nurses to interpret patient behavior accurately. A patient who blames the hospital food for their slow recovery might be using projection to cope with their anxiety about their illness.
Recognizing these mechanisms helps the nurse to avoid arguments and instead use therapeutic communication to explore the patient's underlying fears and feelings.
What if the student said, 'It's okay I failed, I was never good at this subject anyway, but I am great at art'? This would be an example of Compensation, as they are minimizing the failure by highlighting a strength in another area.

How to Approach the Question

First, analyze the core action in the scenario. The student is taking their own failure and attributing the cause to other people.
The keyword is 'blames'. The student is not making an excuse, shifting anger, or highlighting another skill.
Review the definitions of the options. 'Projection' is defined as blaming others for one's own faults.
Match the action in the scenario (blaming others) with the correct definition (Projection).
Rule out the other options by comparing their definitions to the scenario. It's not an excuse (Rationalization), not a redirection of anger to a safe target (Displacement), and not excelling in another area (Compensation).

Concept Tested & Keywords

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