A person’s response to stress and tension is known as a defense mechanism. These behaviors can often be subconscious, with the subject unaware of the way they’re dealing with adversity.

Other defense mechanisms are completely intentional. As with all major personality traits, every individual person is different. However, your zodiac sign might indicate which defense mechanism you use most often.

Aries Men: Counterphobic Action 

When an Aries man is under stress, he seeks out what’s causing the problem and confronts it immediately, especially if the stressor is a fear.

Aries men, like all cardinal signs, are impatient and don’t like to be held back by emotional problems, so they often bite the bullet and charge head-on into their problems to get over what bothers them.

While this is certainly an effective approach, it can sometimes lead to more pain than necessary to resolve the issue.

Aries Women: Impulsive Action 

One thing unites the two halves of Aries, and that is action. Aries women respond to fear and stress by acting at the first opportunity they get, often before there are any thoughts of consequences. This may provide momentary relief, but it leaves the cause of the issue unresolved in most cases.

Taurus Men: Denial 

Taurus is known as the most stalwart and stubborn of the signs, and nowhere is that more apparent than a Taurus man’s ability to deny reality when it’s hurtful.

Denial is one of the most well-known defense mechanisms, but nobody can take it to the extent that a Taurus can. Ignoring what’s right in front of you may feel better now, but it can’t last forever.

 

Taurus Women: Displacement 

Displacement is a coping mechanism wherein an individual takes out emotions they feel towards one thing out on another. Taurus women are as grounded and stable as their sign entails, but once they’re pushed, they have quite the temper.

Taurus doesn’t like change or unnecessary conflict, so often a Taurus woman will take her anger towards an important figure in her life out on an undeserving, safer target.

 

Gemini Men: Garrulousness 

Gemini love to talk, be social, and beloved by the crowd. When things get personal or stressful, a Gemini man will chatter away at often unrelated, superfluous topics to keep the focus away from their personal problems or insecurities.

This prattle is easily spotted and appears nervous, but as long as the conversation stays away from his personal life, a Gemini man doesn’t care.

 

Gemini Women: Reaction Formation 

This coping mechanism means to act completely opposite of an urge. Gemini is, after all, known to be rather two-faced (that being the trademark of the sign).

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Gemini women are likely to act overly polite or friendly to someone who has angered them as a sort of outlet for their dislike (or hatred) of that person.

Cancer Men: Introjection 

Introjection is when a person takes ideas or qualities from the world around them and changes themselves to match. This is almost always subconscious.

Cancer men do this most commonly, as they are sensitive individuals and find it easier to emulate someone else than deal with their own problems.

Cancer Women: Undoing 

Cancer women are like Cancer men in their sensitivity, and when one of these women does something they feel is wrong, they habitually try to make things better by doing something good to reverse their mistakes. In their mind, it’s a way to atone.

This defense mechanism is known as undoing.

Leo Men: Compensation 

Leo men are strong but have highly inflated egos, and they deflate easily. When a Leo Man is bothered by weakness or fear, he attempts to compensate by focusing on his strengths and building those positive qualities up.

This draws attention away from the weakness, and can often include excessive boasting to hide insecurity. If you’re aware of it an handle it properly, compensation can be a positive defense mechanism.

Leo Women: Sublimation 

As fire signs, all Leos are passionate and have strong emotions. Leo women deal with their often very powerful stressors in one of the most positive ways, known as sublimation.

This allows people to act on unacceptable urges by doing something productive, such as using an outlet like art or a martial art instead of resorting to violence when angry.

This defense mechanism is mature and provides a healthy outlet for the strong emotions of a Leo.

Virgo Men: Intellectualization 

Virgos aren’t very emotional people, so when heavy emotions come up, Virgo is likely to use logic and reason to isolate themselves from the real problem.

This can range anywhere from talking about something that makes them feel smart and secure in using complicated jargon to push people away.

Virgo Women: Passive Aggression 

Virgo women are hardworking and smart, but they get very strong and passionate emotions.

They don’t feel safe expressing their anger, however, and it’s often left to simmer. This results in passive-aggressive behavior toward the one the Virgo is upset with.

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Libra Men: Rationalization 

Like Virgo men, Libra men take an unemotional approach to coping with distress.

Rationalization is a way for sensitive Libra to avoid dealing with the consequences of their decisions, something Libras is notoriously bad at, by using logic to explain away any wrongdoing.

Libra Women: Altruism 

Altruism is a mature defense mechanism used by Libra women. These sensitive and caring women are likely to help others and focus on those in need around them in order to cope with their own pain.

Alongside the Leo woman’s sublimation, this is one of the most healthy and positive defense mechanisms.

Scorpio Men: Prevarication 

There’s nothing Scorpio does better than a lie. Scorpio men in distress lie to others and even themselves as much as necessary to avoid the problem, be it emotional turmoil or criticism.

Ironically, Scorpio hates liars, but similarly to Taurus or Leo, they’re stubborn and have too large of an ego to confront the truth.

Scorpio Women: Confabulation 

Similarly to Scorpio men, Scorpio women lie as a defense mechanism. Unlike Scorpio men, Scorpio women do it unknowingly.

When faced with adversity or stress, a Scorpio woman will subconsciously change events in her head to something favorable, sometimes extravagantly so.

Sagittarius Men: Humor 

Sagittarius men don’t like taking themselves too seriously or dwelling on problems for too long. Humor is their go-to defense mechanism, as they prefer to laugh at the few things that do make them upset and move on.

Sagittarius Women: Aim Inhibition 

Like Sagittarius men, Sagittarius women don’t dwell on problems for long and tend to be optimists. When a Sagittarius woman meets a stressor or a roadblock, she simply adapts and changes her plans to get around the issue.

Her aims are flexible, and she can change when a problem comes up.

Capricorn Men: Projection 

Projection is when you project your negative qualities onto someone else and criticize them for it, rather than looking inwards and dealing with self-critique. Capricorn men are sensitive and have large egos, so they are bad at critiquing themselves without getting hurt.

Capricorn Women: Compartmentalization

Capricorn women, like all Capricorns, are hard workers and prefer efficiency. These women compartmentalize the contradictory parts of themselves to keep them separate so they can accomplish their goals without conflict.

Aquarius Men: Identification

Aquarius men are unique and special, but very prone to insecurity as they stick out like a sore thumb.

They cope with stress by subconsciously modeling themselves after and changing themselves to be like other people in their life that they see as better than them or more important.

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Aquarius Women: Fantasy

Aquarius women are big dreamers and have a fantastic imagination, so it comes naturally that these women would put that to good use during times of adversity. Fantasy as a defense mechanism is when a person focuses on an imagined scenario to cope with current difficulties.

Pisces Men: Temporal Regression

Pisces is arguably the most sensitive sign in the Zodiac, and Pisces men respond to stress and adversity much like Aquarius women do.

Temporal Regression is when a person focuses on an earlier time period in life and changes their behavior to match this time period; childhood is the most common example. This is mostly used to avoid problems, as Pisces hates conflict.

Pisces Women: Affiliation

Almost all Pisces are sensitive and friendly by nature. Pisces women use this quality in times of stress to seek comfort and counsel from loved and trusted friends and family. This is among the most healthy and mature defense mechanisms.

Does your sign match up with how you deal with stress? How about your friends? Spread this around and learn more about yourself and your loved ones through your signs! 

Source: apost