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defence mechanism
Sign in to saveAlso known as psychological defence mechanism, defense mechanism, defence mechanisms, defense mechanisms, self-defence mechanism, self-defense mechanism
unconscious psychological mechanism that reduces anxiety arising from unacceptable or potentially harmful stimuli
Research
101,119 papers- Phages reconstitute NAD(+) to counter bacterial immunity.Nature · 2024
- Ego mechanisms of defense and personality psychopathology.Journal of abnormal psychology · 1994
- [Defense mechanisms].Recherche en soins infirmiers · 2005
- Phytoplankton defence mechanisms: traits and trade-offs.Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society · 2018
- The convergence between defence and care in mammals.Trends in cognitive sciences · 2024
via PubMed
Wikidata facts
- Subclass of
- psychological phenomenon
Show 5 more facts
- topic's main category
- Category:Defence mechanisms
- studied by
- psychology
- facet of
- The unconscious
- Commons category
- Ego defence mechanisms
- topic has template
- Template:Defence mechanisms
via Wikidata · CC0
~21 min read
Encyclopedic overview
In psychoanalytic theory, defense mechanisms are unconscious psychological processes that protect the self from anxiety-producing thoughts and feelings related to internal conflicts and external stressors. Defences are automatically used to protect ourselves from threats and affects to maintain psychological balance and homeostasis. Defenses are automatic responses to external stressors or internal conflicts.
Healthy people have a fully developed sense of "object constancy", knowing that bad and good can exist at the same time in the same person. A defense mechanism can become pathological when its persistent use leads to maladaptive behaviour such that the physical or mental health of the individual is adversely affected. Among the purposes of defense mechanisms is to protect the mind/self/ego from anxiety or to provide a refuge from a situation with which one cannot cope at that moment.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “defence mechanism” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.