Freud discussed several such defense mechanisms including denial (a refusal to acknowledge threatening facts: “he ain’t dead, he’s just asleep”), reaction formation (acting in opposite way of one’s true feeling: I’m insecure about my masculinity so I behave in an exaggeratedly macho way), displacement (pointing impulses toward a nonthreatening target: I’m mad at my boss so I kick my cat), and sublimation (channeling destructive...

According to Freud, they are using reaction formation as a defense mechanism to hide their true feelings by behaving in the exact opposite manner. This list is sometimes shortened to provide only seven main defense mechanisms, which are denial, displacement, projection, rationalization, reaction formation, repression, and sublimation.