David is frustrated with the way his boss has been treating him, but he can't risk standing up to his boss and losing his job. To get out all his pent-up anger and frustration, David starts taking a kick-boxing class three times a week. According to Freud, this would be an example of:

• A. Sublimation.
• B. Preoperational thinking.
• C. How the id can affect behavior.
• D. Postconventional morality.

Answer: (A)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the key concept in the problem: David is redirecting his anger and frustration into a socially acceptable activity (kick-boxing).
2. Recall Freud's theory of defense mechanisms, which are unconscious strategies the ego uses to manage conflict between the id, superego, and reality.
3. Understand that sublimation is a defense mechanism where unacceptable impulses or emotions are transformed into socially acceptable actions or behaviors.
4. Compare sublimation with other options: preoperational thinking relates to Piaget's cognitive development, id affecting behavior is a broader concept, and postconventional morality relates to Kohlberg's stages of moral development.
5. Conclude that David's behavior exemplifies sublimation because he channels his negative emotions into a constructive and acceptable activity.