A person projects their suspicion of others onto others, accusing them of cheating.

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

Answer: (A)

Projection is a defense mechanism in which you attribute your own unacceptable thoughts, feelings, or impulses to someone else. In this case, the person feels suspicion or guilt about cheating themselves and instead accuses others of cheating. By turning their own suspicion outward, they’re displacing it onto others, which is the essence of projection. The other options don’t fit as neatly: rationalization would involve offering excuses for one’s own behavior or feelings, rather than attributing them to others; denial would involve refusing to acknowledge a troubling reality; and reaction formation would express the opposite of what one truly feels.