Jared, a 14-year-old boy, plays fairly aggressively with his classmate, to the point of calling him cruel names and even punching him painfully. One psychoanalytic interpretation of this behavior would be that __________.

A) Jared secretly hates Josh but is unable to acknowledge this
B) Jared is unconsciously sexually attracted to Josh but defends against awareness of this same-sex attraction
C) Jared feels pity for Josh and wants to toughen him up against the obstacles he may encounter in the world
D) Jared is displacing the anger he feels toward his pet dog onto Josh

Question

Sunny Sandhu · Accepted Answer

Final Answer : B, Explanation :  Jared's aggressive behavior towards his classmate can be interpreted through a psychoanalytic lens as displacement of unconscious same-sex attraction. According to psychoanalytic theory, individuals may defend against uncomfortable feelings or desires by converting them into their opposite, in this case, aggression.

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