This question is missing the options. I've found the complete question online. It is the following:
Tony has thoughts about hating his younger brother and wishing he would die. He becomes very anxious about these thoughts because he has developed the idea that if anything really happened to his brother, it would be his fault. For no explainable reason, Tony starts mentally counting by odd numbers each time he walks past his brother's room and discovers that this activity makes him less anxious. Tony's behavior can be described as?
a) A mental compulsion developed to neutralize his bad thoughts.
b) A phobia of going into his brother's room because he is afraid his hatred will actually hurt him.
c) A compulsive ritual designed to make him like his brother more.
d) A normal attempt to be better in math than his brother to gain parental acceptance.
Answer:
Tony's behavior can be described as:
a) A mental compulsion developed to neutralize his bad thoughts.
Explanation:
A mental compulsion is a type of behavior, so to speak, that takes place in one's mind. The person either does something as a response to an obsession, with the purpose of avoiding an outcome they fear, or they do it because they wish to reduce the anxiety caused by that obsession. Examples of mental compulsions: are counting certain numbers or repeating certain phrases silently; reviewing events, incidents and conversations in one's mind; rewinding the distant past, etc. What Tony does has no conscious purpose on his part. He does not wish to get better at math. However, he does feel less anxious. That is a sign that this mental compulsion of his has the purpose of neutralizing his bad thoughts.
