The defense mechanism used when a college student experiences nausea and vomiting before exams is most likely:

The defense mechanism used when a college student experiences nausea and vomiting before exams is most likely:

• A. Projection
• B. Conversion
• C. Displacement
• D. Compensation

Answer: (B)

Anxiety about an upcoming exam can be expressed as a physical symptom through conversion. In conversion, emotional distress is transformed into a physical problem that has the appearance of a medical issue but lacks a medical cause. Nausea and vomiting before a test fit this pattern because the body shows somatic symptoms linked to psychological stress, and these symptoms are typically unconscious and not deliberately produced. The result is a way to reduce inner anxiety by channeling it into a tangible, physical experience. Projection would involve putting your own unacceptable feelings onto someone else, not turning distress into a physical symptom. Displacement redirects emotions toward a safer or unrelated target rather than into the body. Compensation involves emphasizing strengths to cover up a perceived weakness and does not produce somatic symptoms.

Anxiety about an upcoming exam can be expressed as a physical symptom through conversion. In conversion, emotional distress is transformed into a physical problem that has the appearance of a medical issue but lacks a medical cause. Nausea and vomiting before a test fit this pattern because the body shows somatic symptoms linked to psychological stress, and these symptoms are typically unconscious and not deliberately produced. The result is a way to reduce inner anxiety by channeling it into a tangible, physical experience.

Projection would involve putting your own unacceptable feelings onto someone else, not turning distress into a physical symptom. Displacement redirects emotions toward a safer or unrelated target rather than into the body. Compensation involves emphasizing strengths to cover up a perceived weakness and does not produce somatic symptoms.