Sid quit smoking over 20 years ago.Whenever he sees a young person light up a cigarette, he lectures them angrily about the dangers of smoking.When asked why he does this, he responds that if he did not get angry with them, he might ask them for a cigarette.Sid is doing the exact opposite behavior of how he really feels, which is characteristic of the defense mechanism of

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The scenario given describes the defense mechanism of reaction formation, where a person behaves in a way that is the opposite of how they really feel. Sid quitting smoking but aggressively lecturing others who smoke is an example of reaction formation as he is displaying an exaggerated behavior in the opposite direction of his true feelings.

Sid Quit Smoking Over 20 Years Ago