.Which of the following defense mechanisms is Marissa using when she says “So what if I broke her stupid toy? She’s always bothering me when I want to play video games and no one should have to put up with that all the time.”

(1 point)
Responses

compensation
compensation

denial
denial

reaction formation
reaction formation

projection

1 answer

Marissa is using rationalization as her defense mechanism. She is justifying her behavior (breaking the toy) by blaming the other person for bothering her instead of acknowledging her own actions. However, it appears that "rationalization" is not listed in your options. Out of the options provided, none of them directly match.

If I have to choose, projection could somewhat fit as she is attributing her feelings of frustration towards the other person's behavior, but it still does not perfectly describe the situation. Projection typically involves attributing one’s own unacceptable thoughts or feelings to someone else.

If "rationalization" were an option, that would be the best fit. If not, based on your options, "projection" is the closest.