What is the term for the defense mechanism where emotions are shifted to a more acceptable substitute?

The term that describes the defense mechanism where emotions are redirected or shifted to a more acceptable substitute is displacement. In this process, an individual transfers their feelings about one person or situation onto a different target that is less threatening or more socially acceptable. For instance, if someone is angry at their boss, instead of expressing that anger directly, they might take it out on a family member or a friend. This mechanism helps individuals cope with their emotions without facing the object of their feelings directly, which can sometimes be too overwhelming or inappropriate.

Projection refers to attributing one’s own unacceptable feelings or thoughts to others. Regression involves reverting to behaviors characteristic of an earlier stage of development when faced with stress. Repression is the unconscious blocking of unacceptable thoughts and feelings from awareness. While these are all defense mechanisms, they do not involve the redirection of emotions to a more acceptable substitute in the way displacement does.