Which term best describes attributing one's own unwanted thoughts to others?

Which term best describes attributing one's own unwanted thoughts to others?

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

Answer: (A)

Projection is a defense mechanism where you attribute your own unwanted thoughts, feelings, or impulses to someone else. It helps explain why a person might accuse others of having the very traits or desires they themselves fear or dislike. For example, someone who secretly feels anger might insist that a coworker is the one who is hostile toward them. Denial means refusing to accept reality, repression hides distressing thoughts from conscious awareness, and sublimation channels impulses into socially acceptable outlets. Among these, projection lines up most closely with attributing one’s own unwanted thoughts to others.

Projection is a defense mechanism where you attribute your own unwanted thoughts, feelings, or impulses to someone else. It helps explain why a person might accuse others of having the very traits or desires they themselves fear or dislike. For example, someone who secretly feels anger might insist that a coworker is the one who is hostile toward them. Denial means refusing to accept reality, repression hides distressing thoughts from conscious awareness, and sublimation channels impulses into socially acceptable outlets. Among these, projection lines up most closely with attributing one’s own unwanted thoughts to others.