Which is considered the most primitive of all defenses in psychology?

Denial is considered the most primitive of all defenses in psychology because it involves refusing to accept reality or facts, effectively blocking out painful or distressing thoughts and feelings. This defense mechanism is a fundamental response to anxiety and is viewed as an early psychological defense, often seen in very young children. Denial can manifest in various ways, such as minimizing the importance of an issue or refusing to acknowledge a problem altogether, thereby allowing the individual to function without confronting uncomfortable emotions.

In contrast, other defenses such as repression, regression, and projection, while they may also provide relief from anxiety, typically follow the functioning of denial. For instance, repression involves pushing unacceptable thoughts out of conscious awareness, regression entails reverting to earlier developmental modes of coping, and projection involves attributing one’s unacceptable feelings or impulses onto someone else. Denial, due to its fundamental nature, serves as a foundation for these and other more complex defense mechanisms.