Every day we experience some emotions, and not every emotion is pleasant to us. In difficult life situations and in everyday life, we experience anxiety, fears, anger, irritation, anger, disappointment and resentment. It is difficult for us to experience very strong unpleasant emotions and feelings, and in order to somehow cope with them, people resort to what is called protective behavior in cognitive behavioral therapy. Protective behavior can be any behavior that helps us reduce the intensity of negative experiences. For example, when a person experiences fear of performing, he may simply refuse situations in which he will have to do so. “It would be better if I turn down a higher-paying position, but I won’t have to make frequent presentations and lead meetings,” he thinks. Or a specialist wants to increase his income, he has ready-made material for group trainings and courses, but he is afraid that while speaking he will start to stutter and forget the entire text, he will embarrass himself and all the listeners will leave. Fear and anxiety can be so strong that a person gives up on his dreams. Deborah Dobson has developed a whole classification of protective behavior. The situations described above fall into the category of passive avoidance, it is better to do nothing, but also not to experience strong fear and other negative emotions. So at school, a child or a student at the university is ready to get a bad grade just to avoid answering the teacher’s question, although he knows the correct answer. It happens that a person is very anxious, and he turns on hypercontrol - he looks through the social networks of his beloved or ex-partner when he visited the page, who I liked, who I commented on. Or before leaving, he checks ten times to see if he has turned off the lights and gas in the apartment. Parents can track the location of their children by constantly determining their geolocation. There is another strategy for reducing unpleasant emotions - seeking comfort and support. It is important for such a person to send SMS, constantly call, asking if everything is okay or talk about their problems. Compulsive rituals also relate to protective behavior. A person is very worried about the fear of becoming infected with something, he begins to constantly wash his hands. If he is haunted by obsessive thoughts, he needs to perform a series of repetitive actions to reduce anxiety and fears. Inner speech helps reduce the intensity of negative experiences. For example, being afraid of flying, many say prayers or repeat - “past me, past me!” Some people count to 10 to calm down. At the same time, they can add protective actions - crossing themselves or fingering rosaries or bracelets. Alcohol, smoking, listening to music also belong to protective behavior when a person resorts to them in an alarming situation or when worried. For example, a person is afraid of going up or down high excavators; in order to get to the right place, he resorts to listening to music on headphones, and then his fear becomes less scary and more bearable. Or a student tries to pull out a ticket or go to answer third in an exam; this behavior is, of course, associated with magic, but it also helps to cope with an emotionally difficult situation. There is a special type of protective behavior, the so-called safety signals. If there are pills in your pocket, everything will be fine with me, such a person reassures himself. Someone has talismans for the road. In the cars of many drivers you can see icons or beads as safety signals. For some, it is important to have a bottle of water in your bag “just in case” or a self-help book in case of an emergency. Unfortunately, protective behavior does not solve underlying issues and problems. A decrease in the intensity of experiences is easier to bear, but this effect is short-term. Fear and anxiety return again and again. The danger also lies in the fact that if a person fails to use protective behavior, for example, he forgot his headphones, pills or cannot refuse and leave, then the level