defense mechanism

Defense mechanisms are unconscious strategies the mind uses to protect itself from overwhelming feelings, anxiety, or threats to self-image. The concept comes from psychoanalysis—originating with Freud and later expanded by his daughter Anna Freud—and remains central to many therapy models today.

Common defenses include denial, projection, repression, rationalization, intellectualization, splitting, dissociation, and reaction formation. They are not “bad” in themselves; they once protected a child or younger self from experiences that were too much, too soon, or too fast. In treatment, defenses are approached with respect: named gently, understood as historical adaptations, and gradually softened as the person builds the capacity to meet the underlying feelings more directly.