Regression is defined as going back to an earlier stage, potentially due to trauma.

Regression is defined as going back to an earlier stage, potentially due to trauma.

• A. Growth
• B. Regression
• C. Assimilation
• D. Projection

Answer: (B)

Regression is a defense mechanism where a person reverts to an earlier developmental stage to cope with anxiety or trauma. This retreat to earlier patterns provides a sense of safety because those behaviors felt familiar and manageable in the past. It’s not growth, which would mean progressing to more mature functioning. It’s also not assimilation, which is about integrating new information into existing mental schemas, nor is it projection, which involves seeing one’s own unacceptable feelings in someone else. In practice, you might see an adult under severe stress seek comforting behaviors or roles from childhood, or a child who has experienced trauma cling to familiar routines and dependence. The defining idea is returning to a previous way of acting to manage overwhelming emotions.

Regression is a defense mechanism where a person reverts to an earlier developmental stage to cope with anxiety or trauma. This retreat to earlier patterns provides a sense of safety because those behaviors felt familiar and manageable in the past. It’s not growth, which would mean progressing to more mature functioning. It’s also not assimilation, which is about integrating new information into existing mental schemas, nor is it projection, which involves seeing one’s own unacceptable feelings in someone else. In practice, you might see an adult under severe stress seek comforting behaviors or roles from childhood, or a child who has experienced trauma cling to familiar routines and dependence. The defining idea is returning to a previous way of acting to manage overwhelming emotions.