When people have the tendency to retreat into fantasy in order to resolve their inner conflicts, or outer stresses, this is also the way of teens who take to science fiction or romantic fantasy media to keep themselves from being overwhelmed. If something dabbled in as a guilty pleasure, there is something to be said for the enriching of the creative mind, however, since the intellectual attraction phase of courtship is all about goal-setting in our committed relationships, living in a fantasy will just not do.

Some men may complain more about this defense being present in women with whom they are involved, but it is likely that males are catching up in its use as an obstacle in relationships.

The lifestyle popular among more and more male teens in Asia - “ghosting” - in which the male retreats from all romantic attachments and wage-earning work, likely resorts to this defense mechanism in order to reach a stable state. We have talked about that sociological phenomenon before in the context of the gratification that the Hades Instinct gives males, to help them feel more masculine, vital and alive. But in this case, that instinct is being given full expression without being held in check, and creates the fantasy lifestyle in which one has no encumbrances or obligations to others. As such, the defense might often be seen in traumatized males, post-divorce, or in those traumatized in general.

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