Unconscious strategies used to cope with conflict, anxiety and disturbing emotions as well as to maintain social and emotional wellbeing is known as:

Correct option is C

Defense mechanisms are unconscious psychological strategies that individuals use to protect themselves from anxiety, internal conflicts, and distressing thoughts or emotions. These mechanisms help maintain emotional balance and social functioning, often by distorting or denying reality to reduce stress and maintain self-esteem.
Information Booster:
· Coined and extensively developed by Sigmund Freud and his daughter Anna Freud, defense mechanisms include strategies such as repression, denial, projection, rationalization, and displacement.
· These are automatic, meaning individuals use them without being consciously aware.
· While they serve as short-term coping tools, overreliance on them can hinder emotional growth if not addressed.
Additional Knowledge:
· (a) Regulation: Refers to conscious emotional regulation strategies like mindfulness or problem-solving, not unconscious defense responses.
· (b) Catharsis: A process of emotional release, often through expression, not an unconscious coping strategy.
· (d) Delinquent Behaviour: Refers to antisocial or rule-breaking behavior, particularly in adolescents, and is not a psychological coping mechanism.