Summary Exam 3 NUR 2459 Study Guide

Defense mechanisms o Altruism- dealing with anxiety by reaching out for others. It is very cold and a man takes off his jacket and gives it to someone who cannot afford a coat. o Compensation- covering up a real or perceived weakness by emphasizing a trait one considered more desirable. Someone who is too small to make the wrestling team becomes a talented member of the debating team. o Denial– refusing to acknowledge the existence of a real situation or feelings associated. A woman who drinks alcohol daily, refuses to acknowledge she has a problem. o Displacement- shifting feelings related to an object, person, or situation to another less threatening object, person or situation. A man is angry with his boss and when he comes home, he yells at his children. o Projection-attributing one's unacceptable thoughts and feelings onto another who does not have them. A woman has feelings for someone other than her husband, but blames him for being unfaithful. o Identification- conscious or unconscious assumption of the characteristics of another individual or group.The student nurse imitates the nurturing actions of the instructor. o Intellectualization-separation of emotions and logical facts when analyzing or coping with a situation or event. A wife is moving far away from her family because of her husband’s job transfer. She explains to her family all the advantages of the move. o Rationalization- creating reasonable and unacceptable explanations for unacceptable behavior. A boy justifies cheating in a card game because he said everyone cheats. o Reaction formation- preventing unacceptable thoughts or behaviors from being expressed by exaggerating opposite thoughts or types of behaviors. A girl is angry with someone, but expresses exaggerated friendliness when she sees her. o Regression- sudden use of childlike or earlier developmental behaviors that do not correlate with age or developmental stage. An adult throws a temper tantrum when she doesn’t get her way. o Repression- unconsciously putting unacceptable feelings, ideas and thoughts out of awareness. No memory. A trauma victim is unable to remember anything about his accident.