Answer:
The correct answer is ''prevent threatening thoughts from attaining awareness.''
Step-by-step explanation:
According to Freud, defense mechanisms are selfish. We all use them unconsciously to maintain psychological balance, to unintentionally protect ourselves from negative thoughts or feelings, facing the anguish or anxiety associated with the conscious expression of a drive representation. Defense mechanisms are activated when we feel threatened, these psychological strategies prevail in high-stress environments, when we doubt our abilities and suddenly realize our own deficiencies.