Anxiety and related disorders: undoing in OCD: practice question

A Psychiatry question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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Psychiatry · Anxiety and related disorders: undoing in OCD

Sample item

After having an unacceptable aggressive thought about his child, a man feels compelled to touch the door handle three times to 'cancel' the thought. Which defence mechanism does this ritual represent?

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

B. Undoing

Undoing is a defence in which a behaviour symbolically negates or cancels an unacceptable thought or act. Along with isolation of affect and reaction formation, it is classically linked to obsessive-compulsive phenomena in psychoanalytic theory.

Option by option

  • A. Projection

    Projection attributes one's own unacceptable impulses to others.

  • B. Undoing (correct)

    Correct. A ritual that magically cancels a forbidden thought is undoing.

  • C. Rationalisation

    Rationalisation gives a plausible but false reason for behaviour.

  • D. Repression

    Repression pushes the thought out of awareness, whereas here the thought is conscious and followed by a cancelling act.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

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Questions about this Psychiatry question

What is the answer to this Psychiatry question?

The best answer is B, Undoing. Undoing is a defence in which a behaviour symbolically negates or cancels an unacceptable thought or act.

Why is "Projection" not the answer?

Projection attributes one's own unacceptable impulses to others.

Why is "Rationalisation" not the answer?

Rationalisation gives a plausible but false reason for behaviour.

Why is "Repression" not the answer?

Repression pushes the thought out of awareness, whereas here the thought is conscious and followed by a cancelling act.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Anxiety and related disorders: undoing in OCD in Psychiatry. Along with isolation of affect and reaction formation, it is classically linked to obsessive-compulsive phenomena in psychoanalytic theory.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as an application question: it asks you to use a fact on a patient or a finding. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Anxiety and related disorders: undoing in OCD?

Learn each diagnosis by its core features and its first-line treatment. Then use the flashcards and the other Psychiatry questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.