Shortly after receiving a traffic ticket for speeding, Fred made numerous hostile comments to his wife about the incompetence of women drivers. Fred's comments illustrate most clearly the defense mechanism of:
A) reaction formation.
B) rationalization.
C) identification.
D) displacement.
E) repression.

The correct answer is D) Displacement

Explanation:

As studied by Sigmund Freud and later his daughter, humans have adopted a number of defense mechanism when facing a situation.

When faced with adversity or feelings of guilt and humiliation, we use defense mechanisms to justify our behavior.

In this example, since Fred was driving and got a ticket, he felt humiliated. He had built in aggression that he wanted to take out and since his wife was just next to him, he started passing uncomplimentary remarks. This is an example of a displacement defense mechanism.

Another form of a defense mechanism is called 'denial' and this is when people do not accept responsibility and live in denial. For example, an alcoholic may 'believe' that drinking too much is not as bad for him as people claim it to be.

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