An example of displacement is when a person is angry at someone, such as their older brother, but does not express it directly and instead is verbally abusive to a less threatening target, like a server at a restaurant.

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Displacement is a defense mechanism characterized by an individual transferring inappropriate urges or behaviors from their original source to a more acceptable or less threatening target.

Displacement

Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020, April 22). Psychology (2nd ed.). OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/1-introduction

OpenStax Psychology (2nd ed.) Textbook

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