- any self-protective physiological system or reaction of an organism
- Psychiatry any thought process, as repression, introjection, denial, displacement, or sublimation, unconsciously used by an individual as a defense against feelings of guilt, anxiety, shame, etc.
defense mechanism
defense mechanismWebster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Link to this page
Cite this page
MLA Style
"defense mechanism." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 18 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/defense-mechanism>.
APA Style
defense mechanism. (n.d.). Retrieved December 18th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/defense-mechanism
defense mechanism
noun
- Biology A physiological reaction of an organism used in self-protection, as against infection.
- Psychology Any of various usually unconscious mental processes, including denial, projection, rationalization, and repression, that protect the ego from shame, anxiety, conflict, loss of self-esteem, or other unacceptable feelings or thoughts.
THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Link to this page
Cite this page
MLA Style
"defense mechanism." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 18 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/defense-mechanism>.
APA Style
defense mechanism. (n.d.). Retrieved December 18th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/defense-mechanism
Noun
(plural defense mechanisms)
- (psychology) A psychological strategy used unconsciously by people to cope with harmful or stressful situations.
- (evolutionary biology) An automatic reaction of the body against foreign antibodies.
English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.
Link to this page
Cite this page
MLA Style
"defense mechanism." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 18 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/defense-mechanism>.
APA Style
defense mechanism. (n.d.). Retrieved December 18th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/defense-mechanism
defense mechanism - Medical Definition
n.
- Psychology In psychoanalytic theory, any of various usually unconscious mental processes, including denial, projection, rationalization, and repression, that protect the ego from shame, anxiety, conflict, loss of self-esteem, or other unacceptable feelings or thoughts.
- Biology A physiological reaction of an organism used in self-protection, as against infection.
The American Heritage Dictionary of Medicine © 2018 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Link to this page
Cite this page
MLA Style
"defense mechanism." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 18 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/defense-mechanism>.
APA Style
defense mechanism. (n.d.). Retrieved December 18th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/defense-mechanism
