How can I avoid displacing my anger onto others? What is one example of a “wake-up call” for me to break a pattern of denial that I am displacing anger onto others?
Here is one exercise that might help you to break denial regarding your displacing anger onto other people: Make a list of people at whom you have been angry over the past few weeks. Then ask yourself this question: Did this person deserve my anger because of inappropriate behavior or did I over-react? If you see that in many of the cases, the other person, who received your anger, did nothing that warranted such a strong reaction, then you will be able to see that you are, in fact, displacing your anger. With this insight, you can begin to lessen the displacement because you now are seeing that people do not deserve harsh correction. Your forgiving those at whom you truly are angry also will assist you in avoiding the psychological defense of displacement.
