Final answer:
Defense mechanisms are strategies used by the ego to unconsciously distort reality to reduce anxiety, operating outside of conscious awareness to manage internal conflicts between the id and superego.
Step-by-step explanation:
Among the options given, the term that refers to the strategies that the ego uses to reduce anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality is defense mechanisms. When we use defense mechanisms, we are unaware that we are using them, as they are an unconscious effort to manage and mitigate feelings of anxiety. The ego, when conscious thought resorts to unconscious strategies, employs these mechanisms to protect itself from being overwhelmed.
For example, reaction formation is a defense mechanism where a person swaps unacceptable urges or behaviors for their opposites. In another instance, projection involves attributing one's own unacceptable feelings to others. Additionally, regression can occur when stress prompts an individual to revert to a more immature behavioral stage.
Furthermore, Sigmund Freud theorized that ego defense mechanisms serve to manage the tension between the id and superego, part of the larger structure of a person's psyche as per Freud's model. As a result, when these internal conflicts arise and create anxiety, the ego might use various defense mechanisms to try and restore balance, even though their overuse might also be indicative of deeper psychological issues.