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escape mechanism

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noun Psychology.

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

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Nearby words

  1. escape artist,
  2. escape beat,
  3. escape clause,
  4. escape hatch,
  5. escape key,
  6. escape notice,
  7. escape pipe,
  8. escape rhythm,
  9. escape road,
  10. escape routine

Origin of escape mechanism

First recorded in 1930–35
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for escape mechanism

escape mechanism

noun

psychol any emotional or mental mechanism that enables a person to avoid acknowledging unpleasant or threatening realitiesSee also escapism
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012