A 28-Year-Old Male Intern Is Currently on a Trauma Surgery

A 28-year-old male intern is currently on a trauma surgery service. After a busy overnight shift, it was impossible to prepare to present all of the patients on the team's list given the workload. At morning rounds, the chief resident made a sarcastic comment that the intern "really put a lot of effort into preparing for rounds." After rounds, while managing the floor with the third year medical student, the intern berates the student that she "needs to step up her game and do a better job." Which of the following is the best explanation for this intern's behavior toward the medical student?

A) Acting out
B) Denial
C) Displacement
D) Intellectualization
E) Reaction formation
F) Splitting
G) Sublimation