Which of the following is NOT listed as one of Perls' five layers of neurosis?

• A. Phony layer
• B. Defensive layer
• C. Implosive layer
• D. Explosive layer

Answer: (B)

Perls’ five layers of neurosis describe how a person’s defensiveness and contact with experience unfold from outward masks to deeper, more authentic experience. The layers named explicitly are the phony layer, where a mask is worn; the phobic layer, driven by fear and avoidance; the implosive layer, in which defenses break down and painful feelings surface; and the explosive layer, where pent-up energy is released. The fifth layer is described in texts in terms of a deeper, more authentic mode of experiencing, but it is not called a defensive layer. Because a defensive layer isn't one of the labeled stages in Perls’ sequence, that option is the one that doesn’t fit the list.