Which ego defense mechanism involves shifting emotions to a safer object?

• A. Repression
• B. Denial
• C. Displacement
• D. Regression

Answer: (C)

Displacement involves redirecting feelings from the original, threatening target to a safer substitute. When the real source of anxiety is too confrontational or unacceptable to face, the mind shifts the emotion to someone or something less risky, allowing expression of the emotion without direct confrontation. For example, a person who feels anger toward their boss might come home and snap at a family member or slam a door instead of confronting the boss. This differs from repression, which hides the feeling from awareness; denial, which refuses to acknowledge the reality; and regression, which reverts to earlier, often childish, behaviors under stress. Displacement neatly accounts for why emotions show up directed at a different object than the true source.