_______________ occurs when people refuse to admit to an event, feeling, or memory that causes them anxiety or distress.

A) Projection
B) Sublimation
C) Displacement
D) Denial

Defense Mechanism

A psychological strategy unconsciously used to protect a person from anxiety arising from unacceptable thoughts or feelings.

Denial

A defense mechanism in which confrontation with a reality is avoided by denying the existence of the problem or reality.

Projection

A defense mechanism in psychology where an individual attributes their own unacceptable thoughts, feelings, or motives to another person.