What are defense mechanisms and why are they helpful? Give an example of how they might be helpful. How are they expressed in different levels of conscious experience?

What will be an ideal response?

* Defense mechanisms are primarily unconscious methods of reducing anxiety or guilt that result from conflicts among the id, ego, and superego.
* Defense mechanisms are often helpful in that they reduce our conscious experience of guilt and anxiety.
* The response should provide an example of how this might be helpful in daily life.
* Even though defense mechanisms may attempt to reduce anxiety and guilt, disguised dreams or slips of the tongue may reveal the anxiety and/or guilt. (See Table 11-6, p. 464.)