Displacement is the tendency to direct one’s energy toward another person or object in order to reduce anxiety.

• A. Sublimation
• B. Identification
• C. Reaction Formation
• D. Displacement

Answer: (D)

Displacement is a defense mechanism in which emotional energy tied to a threatening or unacceptable impulse is redirected toward a safer target to reduce anxiety. The description fits displacement because the original anxiety-arousing feeling is not expressed toward the true source but is redirected to another person or object.

For example, if someone feels anger toward a supervisor but cannot express it at work, that anger may be directed at a family member instead. This contrasts with sublimation, which channels impulses into socially acceptable activities (like turning aggressive energy into sports or art); identification, which involves adopting another’s attributes to feel stronger; and reaction formation, which expresses the opposite of the true feeling.