Sigmund is very interested in his neighbor Sally but has much anxiety about his attraction to her because his friends would not
approve. Every time he sees her, he acts very rude and says mean things to her despite his intense attraction to her. This is an example of what type of defense mechanism?
The defense mechanism is proposed by Sigmund Freud and his daughter Anna Freud. There are many types of defense mechanisms. The person used defense mechanisms to protect themselves from unacceptable or unwanted thoughts that create anxiety, depression, and stress in a person. Reaction formation is one of the defense mechanism that is being used by a person. This defense mechanism is related to the personal desire and impulse that is socially unacceptable and due to which the person convinces himself and accepts that the opposite is true. Often this is called an exaggerated performance.
