Which term refers to the redirection of emotion to other targets?

The term that refers to the redirection of emotion to other targets is displacement. This psychological defense mechanism allows an individual to take feelings or emotions that are originally directed towards one source and redirect them to a different, often less threatening or more appropriate target. For example, if someone is angry at their boss but cannot express that anger directly, they may instead vent their frustration on a friend or family member. This is a common and important concept in psychology, as it helps to explain how emotions can be managed and expressed in socially acceptable ways, even when the original feelings are not addressed directly.

In contrast, the other choices refer to different concepts: delayed grief involves a postponement of grief reactions, denial is a refusal to accept reality or facts, and emotion is a broad term that encompasses all feelings and affective states without the specific mechanism of redirection. Understanding these distinctions clarifies how displacement functions uniquely in the context of emotional responses.