Question 211

Question:

A 52-year-old woman is admitted to the hospital because of breast cancer metastatic to the liver. Her prognosis is poor. She begs her husband to stay with her at the hospital because she is afraid to be left alone. Which of the following defense mechanisms best explains her behavior?

Correct Answer: C.  Regression

This patient has regressed (choice C) because she is dealing with her problem in a way a child would, and she has therefore set back her maturational clock. This defense mechanism is seen in very sick patients as well as in children under stress who may begin wetting the bed.
Denial (choice A) is the avoidance of awareness of some painful reality, such as the denial of a newly diagnosed cancer.
Displacement (choice B) is a process whereby avoided ideas and feelings are transferred to some neutral person or object. An example of this is a wife yelling at her husband because she is angry at her boss.
Repression (choice D) is an involuntary withholding of conscious awareness.
Sublimation (choice E) is the only mature defense mechanism listed in the answer choices, involving replacement of an inappropriate desire with a desire or action that is considered appropriate, differing from displacement where the desire is replaced or transferred, but to a person or object that is still inappropriate. An example of sublimation would be a person who utilizes they’re frustration or anger as competitiveness in sports.