father, husband

[Silverobama]

Hi,


She acted out her anger at her father by screaming at her husband .

What does this sentence mean? Is it logical?

Thanks a lot

[Barb_D]

Have you ever been angry at one person, but you take your anger out on someone else?

You are angry at your boss but you yell at your kids?
Or you're angry at your kids, but you yell at your spouse?

If so, can you imagine what this means?

[riquecohen]

This is called displacement, an ego-defense mechanism. Look here for a further discussion. Displacement

[emsr2d2]

I wonder if "acted out" in this context is more AmE than BrE.

I would say "She took out her anger on..."

[riquecohen]

I wonder if "acted out" in this context is more AmE than BrE.

I would say "She took out her anger on..."

"Acting out" is a psychological term. As such, I would imagine that it is used in BrE in mental health settings.

[emsr2d2]

I've heard of "acting out" as a verb on its own ("The child acts out a lot") but I've never heard it followed by an emotion ("She acted out her anger...")

I've heard it followed by a noun in a theatrical way ("She acted out the scene...")