Plastic pre-strain may decrease the yield strength of metallic materials when stressed in the opposite direction, known as Bauschinger’s effect, which could considerably influence the performance of the materials. However, various processes on microscopic level associated with the Bauschinger’s effect are still not clear. In this study, defect generation, movement and annihilation in single crystal copper during cyclic tension-compression loading processes were simulated using the molecular dynamics method. It was observed that Bauschinger’s effect was asymmetrical and the strain hardening was more profound during compression. After plastic compression, the tensile fracture strain was increased. The absorbed energy was self-adjusted during the tension-compression cycles and kept relatively stable during the loading cycles. Efforts were made to understand the mechanisms responsible for these phenomena.