John is a 9 year-old boy admitted to the hospital for the treatment of a complicated ear infection. He protested while a phlebotomist tried to insert an intravenous catheter into his vein. He complained that the whole experience is ‘painful and stressful’ and the taste of the hospital food is ‘just unbearable’. Next morning, his mother notices he wetted his bed. John’s bedwetting stopped when he was 5 years-old and now it returned during his hospital stay. This is an example of which of the following defense mechanisms?
