Posted by Elle2021 on March 14, 2004, at 2:39:27
In reply to What defense mechanism does this sound like?, posted by mattvaill on March 13, 2004, at 22:47:14
> “I knew that Rachel was driven, not drawn, into academia. She had grown up listening to her Eastern European father, a professor, denigrate her housewife mother. Rachel’s way of showing him, of avenging her mother, was to become a professor herself."
Hmm...there are a lot of reason's she has decided to become a professor herself. I'm not sure if what she is doing sounds like a defense mechanism. If I had to guess I would say overcompensation or sublimation. Seems to me that Rachel is trying to get on an equal playing field as the abuser. She might be doing this so she can prove herself worthy to him -or- so that she can denigrate him as he has previously denigrated her mother (since they will be on the same level academically speaking).
Elle
poster:Elle2021
thread:324101
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20040313/msgs/324154.html