Question:

A student who has prepared inadequately for an exam attributes his failing grade to an unfair test, cheating by other students or a professor who taught badly, is expressing ________

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Projection helps individuals protect self-esteem by shifting blame onto others.
Updated On: Dec 24, 2025
  • projection
  • reaction formation
  • repression
  • rationalization
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The Correct Option is A

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Understanding the behaviour described.
The student fails to accept responsibility for inadequate preparation and instead blames external factors such as the examiner, other students, or the teacher.
Step 2: Explaining projection.
Projection is a defense mechanism in which an individual attributes their own faults, failures, or unacceptable feelings to others.
Step 3: Eliminating other options.
Reaction formation involves expressing opposite feelings, repression involves unconscious forgetting, and rationalization involves giving socially acceptable reasons rather than directly blaming others.
Step 4: Conclusion.
The student is projecting personal failure onto external agents.
Final Answer: (A)
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