escape mechanism

escape mechanism

n

(Psychoanalysis) psychol any emotional or mental mechanism that enables a person to avoid acknowledging unpleasant or threatening realities. See also escapism

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

escape′ mech`anism

n.

a means of avoiding an unpleasant life situation, as daydreaming.

[1930–35]

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

escape mechanism - a form of behavior that evades unpleasant realities dodging, escape, evasion - nonperformance of something distasteful (as by deceit or trickery) that you are supposed to do; "his evasion of his clear duty was reprehensible"; "that escape from the consequences is possible but unattractive"

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