Displacement (psychology) facts for kids

Displacement is a word used in psychology to describe a way our minds deal with difficult feelings. It's like when your brain secretly moves strong emotions, thoughts, or desires from someone or something that feels dangerous or scary to someone or something that feels safer.

What is Displacement?

Displacement is a special kind of defense mechanism. This means it's an unconscious way your mind protects itself from things that are too hard to handle directly. Imagine you're really angry at someone important, like a teacher or a parent. It might feel scary or wrong to show that anger directly to them. So, your mind might "displace" that anger onto something or someone else that feels less risky, like a younger sibling, a pet, or even kicking a ball harder than usual.

How Does Displacement Work?

When you experience strong feelings like anger, frustration, or sadness, your mind tries to find a way to release them. If the original target of these feelings is too powerful, too important, or too scary to confront, your mind looks for a substitute. This substitute is usually a person or object that is less threatening. It's like a pressure valve for your emotions. The original feeling is still there, but its energy is directed elsewhere.

Examples of Displacement

• Getting angry at a friend: If a student has a bad day at school, maybe they got a low grade or felt unfairly treated by a teacher. Instead of showing their frustration at school, they might go home and snap at a friend or family member for a small reason. The anger is "displaced" from the school situation to the friend.
• Kicking a wall: Someone might be very upset about something that happened at home, but they don't feel they can express their anger directly to their family. Instead, they might go outside and kick a wall or punch a pillow. The physical action helps release the pent-up emotion.
• Being mean to a pet: In some cases, if a child feels powerless or angry about something, they might yell at or be unkind to a pet. This is a harmful form of displacement, as pets are innocent and can't defend themselves. It's important to learn healthier ways to cope with feelings.

Dealing with Strong Feelings

It's normal to have strong feelings like anger or frustration. Learning to deal with them in healthy ways is a big part of growing up. Instead of displacing feelings onto others or things that can be hurt, try these ideas:

• Talk to a trusted adult, like a parent, teacher, or counselor.
• Write down your feelings in a journal.
• Do something active, like running, playing sports, or drawing.
• Practice deep breathing or mindfulness to calm down.

Who Was Sigmund Freud?

The idea of displacement as a defense mechanism comes from Sigmund Freud, an important doctor from Austria who lived a long time ago (1856-1939). He is known as the founder of psychoanalysis, which is a way of understanding how our minds work, especially the parts we aren't even aware of (the unconscious mind). Freud believed that many of our actions and feelings are influenced by hidden thoughts and experiences.

Images for kids

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  A robot thinking, representing the mind at work.