A person’s response to stress and tension is known as a defense mechanism. These behaviors can often be unconscious, with the person ignoring how he handles adversity.
Other defense mechanisms are completely intentional. As with all major personality traits, each person is different. However, your zodiac sign may indicate the defense mechanism you use most often.
Table of Contents
Aries:
Aries males: Counterphobic action
When an Aries is stressed, he searches for the cause of the problem and addresses it immediately, especially if the stressor is a fear.
Aries males, like all cardinal signs, are impatient and do not like to be held back by emotional problems, so they often bite the bullet and load head-on into their problems to overcome what is bothering them.
Aries females: Impulsive action
One thing unites the two halves of Aries, and that is action. Aries females respond to fear and stress by acting on the first opportunity they get, often before there are thoughts of consequences. This can provide momentary relief, but it leaves the cause of the problem unresolved in most cases.
Taurus:
Taurus males: Denial
Taurus is known as the most faithful and stubborn of signs, and nowhere is this more apparent than a Taurus male’s ability to deny reality when it is hurtful.
Denial is one of the best-known defense mechanisms, but no one can take it as far as a Taurus can. Ignoring what’s right in front of you may feel better now, but it can’t last forever.
Taurus females: Displacement
Displacement is an adaptation mechanism in which an individual subtracts the emotions he feels from one thing or another. Taurus females are as entrenched and stable as their sign implies, but when pushed, they have quite the temper.
Taurus does not like unnecessary change or conflicts, so often a Taurus female will bring her anger towards an important figure in her life on an undeserving and safer target.
Gemini:
Gemini males: Talkativeness
Gemini love to talk, to be social and loved by the crowd. When things get personal or stressful, a Gemini male will discuss often unrelated and superfluous subjects so as not to focus on his personal problems or insecurities.
This chatter is easy to spot and seems nervous, but as long as the conversation stays away from his personal life, a Gemini male doesn’t care.
Gemini females: The opposite
Their coping mechanism means acting completely the opposite of an urge. Gemini is, after all, known to be rather double-sided (it is the trademark of the sign).
Gemini females are likely to act too polite or friendly towards someone who has made them angry as a sort of outlet for their dislike (or hatred) towards that person.
Cancer:
Cancer males: Introjection
Introjection is when a person takes ideas or qualities from the world around them and changes to match. It is almost always unconscious.
Cancer males do it most often because they are sensitive individuals and find it easier to imitate someone else than to face their own problems.
Cancer females: Undoing
Cancer females are like Cancer males in their sensitivity, and when one of these females does something that seems wrong to them, they usually try to improve things by doing something right to reverse their mistakes.
In their minds, it is a way of atoning. This defense mechanism is called undoing.
Leo:
Leo males: Compensation
Leo males are strong but have very swollen egos and they deflate easily. When a Leo male is bothered by weakness or fear, he tries to compensate by focusing on his strengths and reinforcing these positive qualities.
This diverts attention from weakness and can often include excessive bragging to hide insecurity. If you are aware of it and manage it properly, compensation can be a positive defense mechanism.
Leo women: Sublimation
Like all signs of fire, Leos are passionate and have strong emotions. Leo females treat their often very powerful stressors in one of the most positive ways, known as sublimation.
This allows people to act on unacceptable impulses by doing something productive, such as using an outlet like art or martial art instead of resorting to violence when they are angry.
This defense mechanism is mature and provides a healthy outlet for the strong emotions of a Leo.
Virgo:
Virgo males: Intellectualization
Virgos are not very emotional people, so when strong emotions arise, Virgo is likely to use logic and reason to isolate himself from the real problem.
It can range from talking about something that makes them feel smart and safe to using complicated jargon to repel people.
Virgo females: Passive aggression
Virgo females are hardworking and intelligent, but they have very strong and passionate emotions.
They do not feel safe to express their anger, however, and this is often left to simmer. Results are passive-aggressive behavior towards the one with whom Virgo is upset.
Libra:
Libra males: Rationalization
Like Virgo males, Libra males take a non-emotional approach to dealing with distress.
Rationalization is a way for sensitive Libra to avoid facing the consequences of their decisions, which Libras are notoriously bad at, by using logic to explain any wrongdoing.
Libra females: Altruism
Altruism is a mature defense mechanism used by Libra females. These sensitive and caring women are likely to help others and focus on those who need it in order to cope with their own pain.
Besides the sublimation of the Leo woman, it is one of the healthiest and most positive defense mechanisms.
Scorpio:
Scorpio males: Lying
There is nothing that Scorpio does better than a lie. Scorpio males in distress lie to others and even to themselves as much as necessary to avoid the problem, whether emotional or critical.
Ironically, Scorpio hates liars, but in the same way as Taurus or Leo, they are stubborn and have an ego too big to face the truth.
Scorpio females: Confabulation
Like Scorpio males, Scorpio females lie as a defense mechanism. Unlike Scorpio males, Scorpio females do it without knowing it.
In the face of adversity or stress, a Scorpio female will unconsciously change the events in her head into something favorable, sometimes extravagantly.
Sagittarius:
Sagittarius males: Funniness
Sagittarius males do not like to take themselves too seriously or dwell on problems for too long.
Humor is their preferred defense mechanism because they prefer to laugh at a few things that make them upset and move on.
Sagittarius females: Inhibition
Like Sagittarius males, Sagittarius females do not linger long on the problems and tend to be optimistic. When a Sagittarius female encounters a stressor or a roadblock, she simply adapts and changes her plans to get around the problem.
Her goals are flexible and she can change if something goes wrong.
Capricorn:
Capricorn males: Projection
Projection is when you project your negative qualities onto someone else and criticize them, rather than looking inward and facing self-criticism. Capricorn males are sensitive and have great egos, so they are bad at criticizing themselves without hurting themselves.
Capricorn females: Compartmentalization
Capricorn females, like all Capricorns, work hard and prefer efficiency.
These females compartmentalize the contradictory parts of themselves to keep separate so that they can achieve their goals without conflict.
Aquarius:
Aquarius males: Identification
Aquarius males are unique and special, but very prone to insecurity because they stick out like a sore thumb.
They cope with stress by subconsciously shaping and changing to look like other people in their lives whom they consider to be better than them or more important.
Aquarius females: Imagination
Aquarius females are big dreamers and have a fantastic imagination, so it is natural that they take advantage of this during times of adversity.
Imagination as a defense mechanism is when a person focuses on a scenario imagined to face the current difficulties.
Pisces:
Pisces males: Temporal regression
Pisces is arguably the most sensitive sign of the Zodiac, and Pisces males react to stress and adversity just like Aquarius females.
Temporal regression is when a person focuses on an earlier period of life and changes their behavior to correspond to that period; childhood is the most common example. This is mainly used to avoid problems since Pisces hate conflict.
Pisces females: Affiliation
Almost all Pisces are sensitive and friendly by nature. Pisces use this quality in times of stress to seek comfort and advice from loved and trusted friends and family.
It is one of the healthiest and most mature defense mechanisms.
Does your sign match the way you manage stress? What about your friends? Spread that out and learn more about yourself and your loved ones through your zodiac signs!
