The answer is A, Displacement. Coping mechanisms, or defense mechanisms, are ideas that first began with Sigmund Freud’s theories of psychoanalysis, and continue to be useful clinical and therapeutic concepts. They represent unconscious or involuntary behaviors that are thought to (at least temporarily) relieve anxiety or stress. Lower level defense mechanisms are usually ultimately harmful to the person engaging in the behaviors. Mature defense mechanisms may be more productive and therapeutic for the person. Displacement is an example of an intermediate, or neurotic defense mechanism that occurs when someone feels they cannot respond to their source of anxiety and stress, and so they transfer it to another person/object and take their feelings out there. In this case, the man does not confront his boss, and instead displaces his anger to his son. A) reaction formation is taking an unwanted impulse or desire and acting out what would be the opposite desire. Acting out is acting on thoughts or feelings without considering the consequences in an immature way, like throwing a temper tantrum. Repression occurs when someone “squashes” and ignores their feelings at all costs, and refuses to acknowledge them in any way.

Publication reference : Vaillant GE. Involuntary coping mechanisms: a psychodynamic perspective. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience. 2011;13(3):366-370.
Reference URL: https://www.ncb.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3182012/