Fantasy is another escapist mechanism. It avoids problems by imagining them away or disassociating oneself from reality. Fantasy manifests in a range of everyday scenarios – from daydreaming to reading literature to looking at porn. We use these moments to transport ourselves from the threatening world to find comfort elsewhere. After a bad day at work, for instance, you might sink into an action film, listen to psychedelic music or log on to youporn.com. Such activities enable us to escape our real problems or concerns. The travel industry relies on our need to fantasise.
