Which of the following is the defense mechanism in phobia?
High-Yield Explanation
Anxiety is usually dealt with the defense mechanism of repression. When repression fails to function adequately, other secondary defence mechanisms of ego come into action. In phobia, this secondary defense mechanism is displacement. By using displacement, anxiety is transferred from a really dangerous or frightening object to a neutral object. These two objects are often connected by symbolic associations. Ref: A Sho Textbook of Psychiatry By Jaypee Brothers, Medical Publishers, Ahuja, 6th edition, Page 100.