Identify the defense mechanism where a person attributes their own unacceptable thoughts to others.

• A. Repression
• B. Projection
• C. Denial
• D. Sublimation

Answer: (B)

Projection is a defense mechanism in which a person externalizes their own unacceptable thoughts, feelings, or impulses by attributing them to someone else. This helps reduce anxiety by not having to own these uncomfortable inner experiences, effectively saying, in a sense, “those feelings aren’t mine—they belong to someone else.” For example, if someone harbors aggressive urges but can’t admit them, they might insist that another person is the one who is angry or hostile. The impulse still exists, but the person reduces internal conflict by shifting it outward.

Other defenses don’t fit this pattern as neatly. Repression pushes unwanted thoughts out of conscious awareness, rather than attributing them to another person. Denial involves refusing to accept reality, not misattributing one’s own thoughts. Sublimation channels impulses into socially acceptable outlets, rather than projecting them onto others.