Displacement (psychology)

Displacement is when we take out our feelings, like anger or frustration, on someone or something else even though that person or thing may not have anything to do with why we're feeling that way. For example, if your mom gets frustrated with you but can't yell at the person she's really angry at, she might take out her frustration on you and yell at you instead. Displacement is kind of like getting mad at a cushion when something bad happens at work–you don't mean to get mad at it, it's just easier than getting mad at the person who actually caused the problem.