Which defense mechanism involves expressing the opposite of your true feelings, such as being cruel to someone you have a crush on?

Which defense mechanism involves expressing the opposite of your true feelings, such as being cruel to someone you have a crush on?

• A. Reaction Formation
• B. Projection
• C. Rationalization
• D. Sublimation

Answer: (A)

Reaction formation is a defense mechanism where a person expresses the opposite of their true feelings. When an impulse or desire is uncomfortable or unacceptable, the ego protects itself by turning that impulse into its opposite. In the example, having a crush can bring attraction mixed with fear of vulnerability. Rather than admit these feelings, the person acts cruelly toward the crush, presenting hostility instead of affection. This outward opposite behavior reduces personal anxiety by masking the true emotion. Other mechanisms work differently: projection would involve attributing your own feelings to someone else, rationalization would offer logical excuses for the behavior, and sublimation would redirect the impulse into a socially acceptable activity rather than acting on it.

Reaction formation is a defense mechanism where a person expresses the opposite of their true feelings. When an impulse or desire is uncomfortable or unacceptable, the ego protects itself by turning that impulse into its opposite. In the example, having a crush can bring attraction mixed with fear of vulnerability. Rather than admit these feelings, the person acts cruelly toward the crush, presenting hostility instead of affection. This outward opposite behavior reduces personal anxiety by masking the true emotion.

Other mechanisms work differently: projection would involve attributing your own feelings to someone else, rationalization would offer logical excuses for the behavior, and sublimation would redirect the impulse into a socially acceptable activity rather than acting on it.