A defense mechanism is a coping technique that reduces anxiety arising from unacceptable or potentially harmful impulses.[1] Defense mechanisms are unconscious. Defense mechanisms may result in healthy or unhealthy consequences depending on the circumstances and frequency with which the mechanism is used.[4] In psychoanalytic theory, defense mechanisms (German: Abwehrmechanismen) are psychological strategies brought into play by the unconscious mind[5] to manipulate, deny, or distort reality in order to defend against feelings of anxiety and unacceptable impulses to maintain one's self-schema