Question

Whenever marva has a difficult day at work, she slams her car door and screams at her children as soon as she enters her house. the children now cringe whenever they hear the sound of a car door. the fact that marva screams at her children when she returns from a difficult day at work is an example of the defense mechanism?

Answer 1

The correct answer is displacement.

Displacement refers to a defense mechanism that involves transferring or taking out impulses, feelings or frustrations on people, animals or objects since they are safer targets than the source of the feelings or frustration themselves. In Marva's instance, by screaming at her children after returning from work, she is displacing the frustration she feels at work onto her children.