Freud equivocated between 2 notions of defense: defense as directed against unpleasure and defense as the blocking of the energy or cathectic potential of the drive. This preserved the quantitative–energic–biological model of anxiety in defense in the 2nd theory of anxiety, rather than developing fully the experiential–qualitative–psychological model of anxiety introduced by the structural theory. The pleasure principle and not anxiety supplies the motive for defense. Signal anxiety, as the epitome of unpleasure, is the basic goal of defense and not the drives, ideas, other affects, or the superego. Defending against these is the means of accomplishing that goal. Signal anxiety is an ego function with appraisal, alarm, and defensive phases. There are metapsychological and technical implications of this approach.