Ace the ASWB MSW 2026 – Master Your Social Work Skills and Shine!

The mechanism of substitution primarily involves the replacement of an unacceptable goal with an acceptable one. This is a psychoanalytic concept that suggests that humans have a tendency to unconsciously replace a desired but unattainable goal with a substitute goal that is more attainable. Option A, enhancing memory, is incorrect because it does not involve the replacement of goals. Option C, expressing true emotions in public, is incorrect because it does not involve substituting goals with other goals. Option D, forgetting traumatic events, is incorrect because it does not involve the replacement of goals but rather the suppression or repression of memories.