Which defense mechanism involves transferring emotions from the original target to a substitute perceived as less powerful?

Which defense mechanism involves transferring emotions from the original target to a substitute perceived as less powerful?

• A. Introjection
• B. Minimization
• C. Displacement
• D. Identification

Answer: (C)

This item focuses on how defense mechanisms shield the ego from anxiety. Displacement occurs when intense feelings toward the original target are redirected to a substitute that is perceived as less powerful or safer to express the emotion toward. For example, someone who feels anger toward a boss they can’t confront might vent that anger at a family member or a pet. The emotion hasn’t disappeared; it’s simply redirected to a target that feels easier to handle, reducing immediate threat to the self. Other options don’t fit this pattern. Introjection involves adopting someone else’s beliefs or attributes as your own; minimization reduces the perceived seriousness of an event; identification means adopting the behaviors or characteristics of someone more powerful. The key here is the shifting of emotion from a potent original target to a weaker, safer substitute, which is displacement.

This item focuses on how defense mechanisms shield the ego from anxiety. Displacement occurs when intense feelings toward the original target are redirected to a substitute that is perceived as less powerful or safer to express the emotion toward.

For example, someone who feels anger toward a boss they can’t confront might vent that anger at a family member or a pet. The emotion hasn’t disappeared; it’s simply redirected to a target that feels easier to handle, reducing immediate threat to the self.

Other options don’t fit this pattern. Introjection involves adopting someone else’s beliefs or attributes as your own; minimization reduces the perceived seriousness of an event; identification means adopting the behaviors or characteristics of someone more powerful. The key here is the shifting of emotion from a potent original target to a weaker, safer substitute, which is displacement.