A religious leader in a small city led a crusade against local X-rated movie theaters, 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 prostitutes in a neighboring state. Sigmund Freud would explain this man's behavior as an example of:

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The man's behavior is an example of reaction formation, where he externalizes the opposite of his internal desires in an attempt to suppress them. In this case, the man publicly vehemently opposed sexualized businesses, while privately engaging in them.

A Religious Leader in a Small City Led a Crusade