Table 1.

Proximal and distal defense mechanisms mentioned.

	Freeze/fright/faint (n = 96)	Fight (n = 201)	Flight (n = 35)	Give in (n = 41)
Proximal defense (n = 96)
Arousal (n = 40)	Be afraid (36), feel inhibited (8), keep calm (5), feel helpless (3), feel humiliated (1), be confused (1), negative affective states besides anxious inhibition (uncomfortable, sad, …) (1), trust my instincts (1)
Avoidance (55)	I don’t know (31), do nothing (7), avoid contact (not communicate with them or others) (4), pretend nothing happened (2)
Vigilance (n = 1)	Not make things worse (1), fail out of fear (1)
Distal defense (n = 276)
Concrete personal (n = 233)		Report/denounce them (105), not succumb/not accept this (13), fight back/rebel (11), think about a solution (10), take precautions (5), negotiate (4), stall them (4), not be silent (1), act decisively (1), gain information on them (1), be angry (1), make a will (1), take my own life (1)	Flight (give up business, change city/country, submerge) (34), dream about good times (1)	Give in/acquiesce everything (36), not report, take the deal (2), do anything to save the family (2), play their game (1)
Concrete social (n = 43)		Ask for help (e.g., by associations, institutions, offices) (28), talk to close ones (15)

Numbers behind the categorization symbolize the number of participants that named this category.