What is Defence Mechanisms in Psychology

Defence mechanisms are part of our everyday life, and are not necessarily pathological, e.g. we may "forget" a dentist's appointment. There is some experimental evidence to support the idea of defence mechanisms, e.g. Myers & Brewin found that repressive copers were likely to have had troubled childhood relationships.

The idea that we use unconscious ways of coping with conflict is central to psychoanalytic theory, and is important in the therapy of psychoanalysis. Defences are seen as rooted in the individual's character and their past, and personality is believed to be in part related to the defence mechanisms a person typically uses.
 
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