An overweight woman who has a secret stash of candy in her office at work constantly criticizes everyone else about their calorie and fat intake and is always passing around the newest fad diet book to all her coworkers. Which of Freud's defense mechanisms best describes this situation?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Reaction formation is a defense mechanism where an individual expresses feelings, thoughts, and behaviors that are the opposite of their true feelings. In this case, the woman is overly critical of others' eating habits and promotes dieting, which is the opposite of her own behavior of secretly consuming candy, indicating she might be using reaction formation to deal with her own feelings about her eating habits.

An Overweight Woman Who Has a Secret Stash of Candy