A mother here had a fight with her boss about not getting a promotion for the past 6 years. Instead of releasing her anger on her boss, she released it on her daughter and commented about her near future. This is an instance of displacement, taking out our feelings on a substituteobject, particularly on objects less threatening.
I DO NOT CARE! I am a STEM Major and hardly make any money due to my boss. How will you earn money as an artist?
Mom, I qualified for the National Art competition!
A wife had a huge fight with her husband last night. She choose to come early at office to make herself more calm and take her mind away from the fight. This is the idea of sublimation, an idea similarto displacement. However, sublimation is typically more socially accepted and symbolizes a sign of maturity.
Sublimation
The student here is unable to digest the fact that he failed his calculus test so he puts an excuse on the teacher, that the teacher hates him to solve his issue. Projection is a mechanism where an individual takes his unacceptable thoughts and puts it on someone else.
Projection
You got a F on your Calculus test. You can come to tutorials and I will try to help you.
You failed me on purpose because you hate me!
In this case, a teenager is in tears as her car crashed with another car. However, she does not want to digest the fact that her car got in an accident. Denial is a mechanism where a person is unable to accept reality. Unlike projection, it doesn't use an object to make itself feel better.
Denial
MY CAR DID NOT CRASH!!!
Repression
Here, a young boy is trying out for the basketball team for the second time, with his first time being a failed attempt. He is trying to forget last year's experience and is trying to bring positivity for his present tryout. This is the idea of repression where you are trying to prevent disturbing thoughts into becoming reality.
Just because I didn't qualify for the team last year, doesn't mean I won't make it this year. Forget it, Max.