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.
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