Please use the checklist to make sure you have included all the content.  Put all three stories in one post. No reply to another student is required.  There are very common stories on the internet for these too (denial of a death or being an alcoholic).  It’s ok to use any of them except the two I listed here as long as you include your reference.

1. Choose a specific Defense Mechanism (your choice) from the text and write a story about it.  
2. Write a story about a Delusion as it is used in the text. Hint: Myers talks about delusion as a symptom of a specific disorder.  Make sure that disorder is in your story.
3. Write a story about Transference.  Hint: Myers describes it as a component of a therapy technique. Make sure that is included in your story

If you need a content refresher, use the links below.

  Please use this to make sure you have included all the content. 

I’ve written samples to get you started.  Don’t include the definitions. I’ve added them to help you understand the story.

Definition: A defense mechanism is used to reduce anxiety.  You could choose any one for your example.   I chose reaction formation. Reaction formation happens when you behave in the opposite way to how you feel. 

Story: The key point is the defense mechanism and I chose reaction formation.  When I was in third grade, I had a crush on Bethany, the girl who sat across from me in third grade. I was afraid to tell her how I really felt about her.  It was too scary to do so.  To reduce my anxiety, every time we were on the playground, I would chase and tease her but I never told her how I really felt. I was acting opposite the way I felt. This is a story bout the defense mechanism reaction formation because I being mean toward Bethany instead of showing her I liked her — the opposite of how I felt. 

Definition: Delusion is a symptom of schizophrenia as it’s used in the Myers text so your example has to say the person is suffering from it or a psychotic disorder.  It is a false belief system — the person has a belief system that isn’t consistent with reality.

Story: The key point is a delusion.  Bill, who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, believes the white van he sees parked across the street from his house is really a CIA van and the people inside are recording his every move.  In truth, the white van belongs to his neighbor Amir.  Amir owns a grocery store in town and has never worked for the CIA.  He uses his van for his grocery business.  It has never been used by the CIA.  When the van is parked in Bill’s neighborhood, there is never anyone inside.  This is a story about a delusion because Bill believes the white van belongs to the CIA who is spying on him, when in fact, it belongs to his neighbor Amir who is not a CIA agent and the van is empty. 

Definition:  Transference is a component of psychoanalytic therapy. In transference, the patient reacts to the therapist in the same way they reacted as a child to the parent of the same sex. In the text, Myers talks about transferring feelings.

Story: The key point is transference. Destiny is very angry at their father because he was always putting her down and telling her she is not good enough.   He would tell her she’ll never be successful in life and never be able to find a good mate.  This has caused her a lot of problems so she decides to seek help from a therapist.  Soon after starting therapy, she realizes that her therapist looks a lot like her father and is a male.  She becomes progressively angry with the therapist and starts expecting him to put her down and tell her she’s not good enough because he reminds her of her father.  This is a story about transference because Destiny is transferring the anger she had towards their father to her therapist.