Participants in One Experiment Were Asked to Write Either About

question 31

Multiple Choice

Participants in one experiment were asked to write either about something trivial or about an intimate experience they had found upsetting. The researchers found that the people writing about the intimate experience

• A) were relieved of their anxiety and worry about the event almost immediately after writing about it.
• B) were more stressed after writing about the experience, but it was good for their health in the long run.
• C) showed signs of lessened anxiety immediately after the writing task, but showed an increase in health problems later.
• D) showed signs of being relieved of their anxiety about the event immediately after the task as well as several months later.

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Definitions:

Neo-Freudian

A term referring to psychologists who accepted the basic components of Freud's theory but modified and expanded upon them.

Childhood Sexual Instincts

Early developmental phases where children explore their bodies and experience sexual feelings, as discussed in psychoanalytic theory.

Freud

Sigmund Freud, an Austrian neurologist who is known for founding psychoanalysis, a clinical method for treating psychopathology.

Projection

A defense mechanism where individuals attribute their own unwanted thoughts, feelings, or motives to another person.