The article interprets the problem of the relationship between psychological defense mechanisms and coping strategies (coping behavior) in adolescents, which are considered the most important forms of adaptation for individuals in stressful situations. Psychological protection is an unconscious psychic mechanism, meant to minimize a person's negative experiences, to regulate their behavior, to increase their adaptability, and to balance the psychic. The practical study proved the relationship between psychological defense mechanisms and coping strategies used by adolescents in difficult situations: constructive psychological defense mechanisms led to the choice of constructive coping strategies and vice versa, destructive defense mechanisms determined destructive coping strategies.