Emotional Defenses Emotional Defenses Defenses are behaviors which help us survive feelings or situations which scare us or make us feel threatened, inadequate, or unable to cope. When used judiciously, they help us effectively cope with complex, challenging living. However, when used too quickly, too frequently, or inappropriately, they can distort reality and detach us from actively and productively coping.
Denial is a refusal to accept something as reality.
It is not necessarily malicious in intent. Denial is not the same as lying. Lying is a deliberate attempt to deceive with an untrue statement. Projection is an externalization of wishes that leads to a distortion of reality. It is attributing qualities, actions, or characteristics to a person or object where they do not belong, so as not to confront the true reality of a situation.