MadameNoire Featured Video
Portrait of a black woman making faces

Source: andresr / Getty

What’s displaced anger?

Displacement is defined by Psychology Today as “a defense mechanism in which people transfer emotions from the original source to another person or situation.” It is done subconsciously and people don’t realize that they’re channeling anger from one situation and unleashing it in another. Oftentimes, this displaced anger or displaced aggression is released on a target who appears less threatening.  Some examples of displacement include blowing up at a spouse or child after an unpleasant exchange with a supervisor at work or picking fights with relatives as a result of trauma that has not been dealt with. Regardless of how it manifests, displaced anger has the potential to significantly diminish a person’s quality of life, relationships, career, and personal goals when this issue and chronic and not properly addressed.

Comment Disclaimer: Comments that contain profane or derogatory language, video links or exceed 200 words will require approval by a moderator before appearing in the comment section. XOXO-MN