Which defense mechanism is described as avoidance and is sometimes depicted as profile or back views in art?

Which defense mechanism is described as avoidance and is sometimes depicted as profile or back views in art?

• A. Avoidance
• B. Repression
• C. Projection
• D. Reaction Formation

Answer: (A)

Avoidance as a defense shows up when a person tries to steer away from confronting distressing feelings or situations. In art therapy, this tendency is often signaled by the figure being drawn in profile or from the back, rather than facing the viewer directly. That frontal engagement is blocked by a stance of disengagement, signaling a reluctance to engage with the issue or with the self that’s being explored. Repression involves pushing distressing memories or impulses out of conscious awareness, which might appear in art as buried or hidden imagery rather than a simple avoidance demonstrated by the pose. Projection would place one’s own unacceptable feelings onto someone else, so the artwork would tend to depict others as the source of those feelings rather than the subject avoiding direct contact. Reaction formation shows the opposite of one’s true feelings, often through exaggerated outward behavior, not a disengaged posture. So, the profile or back view best embodies avoidance, making it the most fitting choice.

Avoidance as a defense shows up when a person tries to steer away from confronting distressing feelings or situations. In art therapy, this tendency is often signaled by the figure being drawn in profile or from the back, rather than facing the viewer directly. That frontal engagement is blocked by a stance of disengagement, signaling a reluctance to engage with the issue or with the self that’s being explored.

Repression involves pushing distressing memories or impulses out of conscious awareness, which might appear in art as buried or hidden imagery rather than a simple avoidance demonstrated by the pose. Projection would place one’s own unacceptable feelings onto someone else, so the artwork would tend to depict others as the source of those feelings rather than the subject avoiding direct contact. Reaction formation shows the opposite of one’s true feelings, often through exaggerated outward behavior, not a disengaged posture.

So, the profile or back view best embodies avoidance, making it the most fitting choice.