Which term describes defenses developed which prevent fully experiencing the present?

• A. Projection
• B. Resistance
• C. Retroflection
• D. Unfinished Business

Answer: (B)

Resistance is a defense that blocks awareness of what is happening in the present moment. It acts as a shield against the anxiety that can come with confronting current feelings, thoughts, or situations, so the person stays with familiar patterns or past experiences instead of fully experiencing the here and now. In therapy, you might see this show up as shifting the topic, intellectualizing, minimizing symptoms, missed sessions, or insisting on “doing things the right way” rather than feeling what’s going on. By keeping the focus away from present experience, the person avoids having to face change or distress, which is why resistance best fits this description. Other terms describe different processes—for example, projection involves putting one’s own unacceptable feelings onto others, retroflection is turning feelings back onto oneself, and unfinished business refers to unresolved past issues intruding into the present—yet they don’t capture the broad protective function of resisting present awareness as clearly as resistance does.