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Psychology vocabulary · Personality

Defence mechanism

Meaning in psychology, with examples

nounCommon term

In psychology, defence mechanism means: In psychodynamic theory, an unconscious mental strategy that protects a person from anxiety or painful feelings, such as denial, projection or repression.

In Turkish: savunma mekanizması

How it is used

Developed by Sigmund and Anna Freud and later grouped by maturity, from immature defences (denial, projection) to mature ones (humour, sublimation). Clinicians say a client uses or relies on a defence.

Example sentences

  1. Projection is a defence mechanism in which we see our own unwanted feelings in others.

  2. His constant joking may be a defence mechanism that keeps painful topics at a distance.

Common collocations

  • use a defence mechanism
  • immature defences
  • mature defences
  • ego defence
  • unconsciousIn psychodynamic theory, the part of the mind holding thoughts, memories and wishes that we are not aware of but that still influence our feelings and behaviour.
  • psychodynamic therapyA form of talking therapy, developed from psychoanalysis, that explores how unconscious feelings, early relationships and repeated patterns shape a person's present difficulties.
  • anxietyA feeling of worry, tension or fear about something that might happen, often with physical signs such as a fast heartbeat; when intense and lasting, it can be part of a disorder.
  • cope withTo deal with a difficult situation, feeling or problem in a way that lets you keep functioning, for example by solving the problem or managing your emotions.

More terms: Personality

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