AP Psychology Practice Test 2025 - Free AP Psychology Practice Questions and Study Guide

The correct answer identifies defense mechanisms as the methods the ego employs to reduce anxiety by distorting reality. These mechanisms are psychological strategies that help individuals cope with stressors, manage anxiety, and protect themselves from feelings of inadequacy or guilt. Defense mechanisms can include behaviors such as repression (blocking unpleasant thoughts), denial (refusing to accept reality), displacement (shifting emotional reactions from one object to another), and rationalization (justifying behaviors with logical reasoning).

Understanding defense mechanisms is essential because they play a critical role in our mental health, influencing how we respond to conflicts and stress. They are not conscious strategies; instead, they operate automatically to help individuals maintain their self-image and manage emotional turmoil. This concept is foundational in Freud's psychoanalytic theory, where the ego balances the demands of the id, superego, and reality, thereby often utilizing these mechanisms to cope with anxiety.

Other options, while related to psychological concepts, do not accurately refer to the specific methods the ego uses to distort reality. For example, psychosexual stages pertain to developmental phases in Freud's theory, repression techniques can be seen as one specific defense mechanism rather than the broader category, and ego tactics does not have a formal recognition in psychological terminology.