Unconscious psychological strategies that protect the ego from anxiety, guilt, or other uncomfortable emotions by distorting reality or redirecting impulses. These automatic responses help maintain psychological stability but can become problematic if overused.
From Latin 'defendere' meaning 'to ward off' and Greek 'mēkhanē' meaning 'device' or 'means.' Freud introduced this concept in the 1890s, and his daughter Anna Freud later expanded and systematized the theory in the 1930s.
Defense mechanisms are like psychological airbags - they automatically deploy to protect your ego from emotional crashes, but just like real airbags, they can sometimes cause their own problems if they go off at the wrong time!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.