DEFENSE MECHANISM

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does defense mechanism mean? 

• DEFENSE MECHANISM (noun)
  The noun DEFENSE MECHANISM has 1 sense:

1. (psychiatry) an unconscious process that tries to reduce the anxiety associated with instinctive desires

  Familiarity information: DEFENSE MECHANISM used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• DEFENSE MECHANISM (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

(psychiatry) an unconscious process that tries to reduce the anxiety associated with instinctive desires

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural processes

Synonyms:

defence; defence mechanism; defence reaction; defense; defense mechanism; defense reaction

Hypernyms ("defense mechanism" is a kind of...):

process; unconscious process (a mental process that you are not directly aware of)

psychoanalytic process (a process that is assumed to occur in psychoanalytic theory)

Domain category:

psychiatry; psychological medicine; psychopathology (the branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "defense mechanism"):

compensation ((psychiatry) a defense mechanism that conceals your undesirable shortcomings by exaggerating desirable behaviors)

conversion ((psychiatry) a defense mechanism represses emotional conflicts which are then converted into physical symptoms that have no organic basis)

denial ((psychiatry) a defense mechanism that denies painful thoughts)

displacement ((psychiatry) a defense mechanism that transfers affect or reaction from the original object to some more acceptable one)

idealisation; idealization ((psychiatry) a defense mechanism that splits something you are ambivalent about into two representations--one good and one bad)

intellectualisation; intellectualization ((psychiatry) a defense mechanism that uses reasoning to block out emotional stress and conflict)

isolation ((psychiatry) a defense mechanism in which memory of an unacceptable act or impulse is separated from the emotion originally associated with it)

projection ((psychiatry) a defense mechanism by which your own traits and emotions are attributed to someone else)

rationalisation; rationalization ((psychiatry) a defense mechanism by which your true motivation is concealed by explaining your actions and feelings in a way that is not threatening)

reaction formation ((psychiatry) a defense mechanism in which a person unconsciously develops attitudes and behavior that are the opposite of unacceptable repressed desires and impulses and serve to conceal them)

regression ((psychiatry) a defense mechanism in which you flee from reality by assuming a more infantile state)

repression ((psychiatry) the classical defense mechanism that protects you from impulses or ideas that would cause anxiety by preventing them from becoming conscious)

 Context examples 

IL12RB1/2 activity appears to contribute to host defense mechanisms and the inflammatory response.

(Interleukin 12 Receptor Beta, NCI Thesaurus)

Cell adhesion is a fundamental feature of multicellular organisms including their defense mechanisms.

(Lymphocyte Adhesion Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

This protein plays a role in the initiation of targeted host defense mechanisms against pathogens by activating the complement pathway.

(Mannose-Binding Protein C, NCI Thesaurus)

Homeopathy seeks to stimulate the body's defense mechanisms and processes so as to prevent or treat illness.

(Homeopathy, NCI Thesaurus)

Phagocytosis plays an essential role in host-defense mechanisms through the uptake and destruction of infectious pathogens.

(Fc Gamma Receptor-Mediated Phagocytosis Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/KEGG)

Inflammation is defense mechanism in the body as the body's attempt at self-protection.

(Humans More Unique than Expected When It Comes to Digesting Fatty Meals, U.S. Department of Agriculture)

This gene is involved in mitigating host inflammatory defense mechanisms in response to microbial invasion.

(DEFB1 Gene, NCI Thesaurus)

The complement system is a proteolytic cascade in blood plasma and a mediator of innate immunity, a nonspecific defense mechanism against pathogens.

(Complement and Coagulation Cascade, NCI Thesaurus/KEGG)

This protein is cleaved during biological activation and is associated with host defense mechanisms and inflammatory responses.

(C-Reactive Protein, NCI Thesaurus)

The lymph nodes are the main source of lymphocytes of the peripheral blood and serve as a defense mechanism by removing noxious agents, such as bacteria and toxins, and probably play a role in antibody production.

(Lymph Node Tissue, NCI Thesaurus)