You are shocked to hear that two of your coworkers who seemingly hated one another are now getting married. According to Freud, what defense mechanism best explains their prior behavior?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Reaction formation is a defense mechanism in which an individual behaves in the opposite way than their actual feelings towards something, to keep their unacceptable thoughts or feelings hidden. In this scenario, it is possible that the coworkers' initial hatred towards one another was actually a cover-up of their true romantic interest. In that case, their getting married could be seen as a manifestation of reaction formation.

You Are Shocked to Hear That Two of Your Coworkers