Jose is unconsciously angry at his roommate, so he goes out of his way to be kind and helpful. What kind of defense mechanism would Freud suggest Jose is using?

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In this scenario, the person is experiencing unconscious anger toward a roommate but behaves in a radically opposite way by being exceptionally kind and helpful. This pattern aligns with the defense mechanism known as reaction formation, where an individual unconsciously swaps an unacceptable impulse for its opposite.
Option 1: displacement. This would involve shifting the emotional response from the original target (the roommate) to a different, usually safer target. Here, the kindness is directed toward the roommate, not toward a substitute target, so displacement is not a good fit.
Option 2: reaction formation. This is the classic opposite-behavior strategy: the hidden anger is expressed as the exact opposite (kindness and helpfulness) to quell internal tension and reduce anxiety about the impulse.
Option 3: denial. Denial involves refusing to accept a painful or real aspect of reality. The behavior described does not simply refuse reality; it actively expresses a contrary, compensatory behavior, so denial misses the key dynamic.
Option 4: projection. Projection would involve attributing one’s own unacceptable feelings to someone else (e.g., accusing the roommate of being angry or hostile). The scenario does not indicate attributing anger to the roommate; it shows the person acting kindly despite anger inwardly.

PSYC1_FA25_A00 Quiz 4

Jose is unconsciously angry at his roommate, so he goes out of his way to be kind and helpful. What kind of defense mechanism would Freud suggest Jose is using?

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