Which client is handling stress by using the defense mechanism termed displacement?

• A. A client who, after being reprimanded by their supervisor at work, goes home and angrily scolds their children for minor mistakes.
• B. A client who, after experiencing anxiety about an upcoming exam, forgets about the test entirely and does not attend.
• C. A client who, after feeling upset with a friend, channels their energy into painting a picture.
• D. A client who, after being criticized by a colleague, tells themselves that the criticism was actually meant for someone else.

Answer: (A)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the concept of displacement as a defense mechanism. Displacement involves redirecting emotional responses or impulses from a threatening or unacceptable target to a safer or more acceptable substitute target.
2. Step 2: Analyze each client scenario to identify where the emotional response is shifted from the original source to another target.
3. Step 3: For the client who is reprimanded by their supervisor and then scolds their children, recognize that the anger toward the supervisor (original source) is redirected toward the children (substitute target). This fits the definition of displacement.
4. Step 4: For the other clients, identify the defense mechanisms they are using: forgetting about the exam is likely repression or avoidance; channeling energy into painting is sublimation; and telling oneself the criticism was meant for someone else is denial or projection.
5. Step 5: Conclude that the client who redirects anger from the supervisor to their children is the one using displacement, as this matches the psychological definition of the defense mechanism.