displacement activity

American  

noun

Animal Behavior.

1. a behavior performed out of its usual context and apparently irrelevant to the prevailing situation, as eating when an unknown individual approaches, tending to occur when appropiate behaviors, as attacking or fleeing, are in conflict or obstructed.

---

displacement activity British  

noun

1. psychol behaviour that occurs typically when there is a conflict between motives and that has no relevance to either motive, e.g. head scratching

2. zoology the substitution of a pattern of animal behaviour that is different from behaviour relevant to the situation, e.g. preening at an apparently inappropriate time

---

Etymology

Origin of displacement activity

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

“Worrying about stuff like this was what her mother’s generation did as displacement activity from worrying about the real things happening in the world,” she thinks.

From New York Times • Aug. 17, 2020

“If we get in early enough, during the planning stages, before infrastructure improvements are implemented, maybe we can stem some of this displacement activity that occurs,” he said.

From Washington Post • Oct. 1, 2019

But is the bird preening because it really needs to, or is this a displacement activity of some sort?

From Scientific American • Jun. 29, 2015

A kind of displacement activity – forever looking for someone else to blame for your own inertia.

From The Guardian • Jul. 25, 2011

I should confess that as a West Ham fan, all this focus on shavers and silver suits was merely displacement activity, diverting thoughts from the afternoon's massive, season-defining, etc etc match against Wigan.

From The Guardian • Apr. 25, 2010