MCAT Behavioral Sciences Question 263: Answer and Explanation

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Question: 263

6. Which of the following individuals would most likely experience "hangover identity?"

  • A. A biological male who identifies as a female, but has not yet begun the transition to the female gender.
  • B. An alcoholic who was sober for six months and then relapsed.
  • C. Someone who was married for six weeks and then gets a divorce.
  • D. A recent retiree who worked at the same company for 45 years, had a tight group of friends at work, participated in the company Thursday night bowling league, and volunteered with her colleagues every holiday season in a neighborhood soup kitchen.

Correct Answer: D

Explanation:

A "hangover identity" (also known as a role residual) can occur when several aspects persist for an individual from their ex-role even after completing the exiting process to their newly formed identity. According to the final paragraph, "the more involved an individual was in his former role, the more likely he is to have a higher role residual compared to someone who was not as committed to his previous role." Therefore, a newly retired individual who worked at the same company for a long time and was very involved with her coworkers would be most likely to experience "hangover identity" upon transitioning into her new role as retiree (choice D is correct). A biological male who has not begun the process of transitioning to female has not yet abandoned his former role (choice A is wrong), and neither the alcoholic nor the person married were committed to their roles for a significant amount of time (choices B and C are wrong).

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