in Freud's theory, a process that distorts reality to prevent the individual from being overwhelmed by anxiety. 444
Automatic psychological process that protects the individual against anxiety and from awareness of internal or external stressors or dangers. Defense mechanisms mediate the individual's reaction to emotional conflicts and to external stressors. Some defense mechanisms (e.g., projection, splitting, and acting out) are almost invariably maladaptive. Others, such as suppression and denial, may be either maladaptive or adaptive, depending on their severity, their inflexibility, and the context in which they occur.
Unconscious reaction or response whose purpose is to protect the individual from anxiety-producing stimuli.
(psychiatry) an unconscious process that tries to reduce the anxiety associated with instinctive desires
an unconscious process that acts to reduce an aversive state, either of anxiety or emptiness
a protective strategy most often utilized by the conscious mind and left brain
a psychological term used to describe ways in which we protect ourselves from fear and anxiety.
An unconscious reaction that offers protection to the self from a stressful situation.
A psychological technique performed by the ego, but carried out without conscious awareness, designed to ward off anxiety or unpleasant emotions or tensions.
A physical part of or a process in a plant or animal that helps protect it against attack or injury.
This is a general term to describe different characteristics that organisms use to protect themselves from their predators. In the case of butterflies, defense mechanisms are ubiquitous as they need to defend themselves from the very long list of organisms that call butterflies "food".
A psychological process that protects you from anxiety or stressors by reducing or blocking your awareness of them.
In psychoanalytic theory, a collective term for a number of reactions that try to ward off or lessen anxiety by various unconscious means. See also displacement, projection, rationalization, reaction formation, repression.
Any "unconscious" method of avoiding the need to recognize and confront one's own personal qualities or motives, through a decision either to act or not to act in a certain way. This allows a person to avoid a lowering of self-esteem or a heightening of anxiety, and thus inhibits personal growth.