Are your defense mechanisms harming you? The role of psychological defenses in social media comparison and adolescent self-esteem

Abstract

Adolescent experiences with social media are often depicted as “games of comparison.” They are persistently aware of the gap between themselves and others. Such endless comparisons can profoundly affect self-esteem and trigger defense mechanisms. This study differentiates two modes of social comparison—ability comparison and opinion comparison—to examine the relationship between self-protective defense and self-expansive defense. By distinguishing between these two modes of social comparison and examining the roles of self-protective and self-expansive defense, the present study reveals the mediating role of psychological defense mechanisms on the effect of social comparison on self-esteem. Our study examines how adolescents use expressive interactions on social media as moderating variables to examine the efficacy of psychological defense mechanisms. The results show that self-protective defenses are not protective of self-esteem; they are detrimental, lowering self-esteem. Comparatively, self-expansive defenses enhance the mediating effect of self-esteem. In terms of social comparison, expressive interactive use can effectively promote self-expansive defense mechanisms, thereby improving self-esteem. This study revisits the meaning of defenses and highlights that the core value of defenses for adolescents lies not in how to defend against the pain of social comparison, but in the ability to reconstruct the self from imperfections while gaining insight into growth opportunities—a key pathway to psychological maturity and health. © 2026 Elsevier Ltd