Psychoanalytic defense mechanism by which people disguise their own threatening impulses by attributing them to others.

• A. Reaction formation
• B. Projection
• C. Sublimation
• D. Denial

Answer: (B)

This question centers on how the mind defends itself against uncomfortable thoughts by misattributing them to others. The best answer is projection, a mechanism where someone unconsciously disowns their own threatening impulses and instead attributes them to someone else. It helps reduce anxiety by keeping unwanted desires or feelings out of one’s awareness while still acting as if those impulses belong to another.

For example, a person who feels aggressive urges might insist that others are the aggressors toward them. That shifts the source of the impulse away from the self and onto someone else, preserving a kinder self-image.

In contrast, reaction formation involves doing the opposite of an unacceptable impulse, sublimation channels impulses into socially acceptable activities, and denial refuses to acknowledge reality. These distinctions show why projection is the correct descriptor for attributing one’s own troubling impulses to others.