anticathexis

noun

an·​ti·​ca·​thex·​is -kə-ˈthek-səs, -ka- 

plural anticathexes -ˌsēz 

: diversion of mental energy by the ego to block undesirable or objectionable impulses of the id from entering the consciousness : suppression of cathexis by the ego

Anticathexis causes a displacement from a guilt- or anxiety-provoking object or event to one that does not cause guilt or anxiety.

—B. R. Hergerhahn, An Introduction to the History of Psyschology

called also countercathexis