A religious leader in a small city led a crusade against the localX-rated movie the aters, topless dance bars, and strip clubs,often leading groups of angry citizens to storm the buildings and threaten to shut them down. After a great deal of publicity, however, the newspaper published photos of the same man frequenting strip clubs and patronizing prostitutesin a neighboring state. Sigmund Freud would explain this man's behavior as an example of:

Question

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Reaction formation is a defense mechanism in which a person expresses the opposite of their true feelings in order to avoid anxiety or guilt. In this case, the religious leader may have been struggling with his own desires towards these activities, but due to his strong religious beliefs, he repressed them and instead vehemently opposed them in public.

A Religious Leader in a Small City Led a Crusade