The district attorney never stops his campaign to rid the city of pornography. He gets extremely agitated when speaking against the evils of "adult" magazines and he quotes scripture endlessly to back up his tirades. What his constituents don't know, however, is that he owns a large collection of pornographic videos that he often views when he's alone. Freudians might suggest that his behavior is a sign of

Question

The district attorney never stops his campaign to rid the city of pornography. He gets extremely agitated when speaking against the evils of "adult" magazines and he quotes scripture endlessly to back up his tirades. What his constituents don't know, however, is that he owns a large collection of pornographic videos that he often views when he's alone. Freudians might suggest that his behavior is a sign of

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Reaction formation is a defense mechanism where an individual acts in a manner opposite to their unconscious desires. In this case, the district attorney's public campaign against pornography, contrasted with his private collection, exemplifies reaction formation.  Reaction formation transforms an unacceptable impulse into its opposite. In this case, the unacceptable impulse that the district attorney may have is to view pornography himself.

The District Attorney Never Stops His Campaign to Rid the City