A defence mechanism is a way of behaving or thinking which is not conscious or deliberate and is an automatic reaction to unpleasant experiences or feelings such as anxiety and fear.
defence mechanism in British English
noun
1. psychoanalysis
a usually unconscious mental process designed to reduce the anxiety, shame, etc, associated with instinctive desires
2. physiology
the protective response of the body against disease organisms
Examples of 'defence mechanism' in a sentence
defence mechanism
There is research that shows it might have an effect on the body 's defence mechanisms.