The defense mechanism by which people disguise threatening impulses by attributing them to others is called
A) projection.
B) displacement.
C) fixation.
D) reaction formation.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Projection is the defense mechanism by which people attribute their own unacceptable or unwanted thoughts, feelings, or behaviors to someone else. This can include projecting feelings of anger, envy, or guilt onto others so that the individual does not have to consciously acknowledge their own negative feelings. The other options - displacement, fixation, and reaction formation - involve different defense mechanisms in which an individual redirects their own impulses, gets stuck in a particular stage of development, or acts in a way that is opposite to their true feelings, respectively.

The Defense Mechanism by Which People Disguise Threatening Impulses by Attributing