An overweight woman who has a secret stash of candy in her office at work constantly criticizes everyone else about their calorie and fat intake and is always passing around the newest fad diet book to all her coworkers. Which of Freud's defense mechanisms best describes this situation?

reaction formation

Explanation:

According to Freud's defense mechanisms this situation is known as reaction formation. In reaction formation defense mechanisms person behave opposite to their real and true feelings, to control negative stress and anxiety. When person feel unacceptable impulse he or she try to deny and react the opposite feeling to overcome stress.