psychological defense
Unconscious protective mechanism
A psychological defense is a mental strategy that protects the ego from anxiety, guilt, or unacceptable thoughts—often operating unconsciously.
Common defenses include denial, projection, and rationalization.
His constant joking was a psychological defense against grief.
The term comes from psychoanalytic theory but has entered general usage for any habitual self-protective mental pattern.
- coping strategyMental approach to difficulties
- reframingChanging interpretive context
- reaction formationMasking impulses with opposites
- repressionUnconscious blocking of thoughts
- avoidanceDeliberate keeping away
withdrawal · emotional armor · sublimation · denial · turning a blind eye · self-talk · humor · compartmentalization · identification · projection · triangulation · scapegoating · somatization · splitting · displacement · distraction · rationalization · mindfulness
psychological defenseself-awareness
Insight into one's psyche
insight · psychological insight · self-reflection · metacognition · strategic thinking
psychological defensedefenselessness
State of being unprotected
authenticity · transparency · unguardedness · receptivity · surrender
psychological defensepsychological insight
Understanding of mental processes
acceptance · acknowledgment · emotional processing · working through · radical acceptance
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