A 58-year-old woman brings her elderly father to the office for a checkup. He has multiple medical issues, including diabetes, chronic pulmonary disease, and urinary incontinence. While the physician is seeing her father, the woman confides to the office receptionist that she reluctantly quit her job after her father moved in with her. He is no longer able to live independently, and she resents having to care for him. The father was mostly absent during the daughter's childhood due to business travel, and he divorced her mother when the daughter was 13 years old, with only sporadic contact with his children afterward. She also wishes her siblings would help care for him more. When her father comes out of the examination room, the daughter is extremely attentive to him, asking if the visit went okay and if he is comfortable and repeatedly offering to get him a drink of water before they return home. Which of the following defense mechanisms best explains this woman's behavior toward her father?

Question

A 58-year-old woman brings her elderly father to the office for a checkup.  He has multiple medical issues, including diabetes, chronic pulmonary disease, and urinary incontinence.  While the physician is seeing her father, the woman confides to the office receptionist that she reluctantly quit her job after her father moved in with her.  He is no longer able to live independently, and she resents having to care for him.  The father was mostly absent during the daughter's childhood due to business travel, and he divorced her mother when the daughter was 13 years old, with only sporadic contact with his children afterward.  She also wishes her siblings would help care for him more.  When her father comes out of the examination room, the daughter is extremely attentive to him, asking if the visit went okay and if he is comfortable and repeatedly offering to get him a drink of water before they return home.  Which of the following defense mechanisms best explains this woman's behavior toward her father?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

11ec25c8_d7b2_34f3_bc81_efe567118344_MD0003_00 Defense mechanisms are normal features of human behavior that enable individuals to navigate social relationships in a way that preserves self-esteem, limits anxiety, and creates a feeling of control. They can be pathological if they become fixed or interfere with self-development. Reaction formation is a defense mechanism in which an individual transforms unacceptable emotions, desires, or impulses into their extreme opposites. This woman resents having to care for her father. Her true emotions, however, are transformed into over-solicitous behavior that may seem more socially acceptable to her. Individuals are usually not aware that they are exhibiting this defense mechanism despite it being readily apparent to others. (Choice A) Altruism is a mature defense mechanism in which a person manages unpleasant emotions through service to others (eg, organizing a support group for caregivers). This service provides gratification, in contrast to reaction formation in which pleasure is lacking. (Choice B) Displacement is the transfer of feelings or impulses toward an object or person who is deemed to be safer (ie, less likely to take offense or retaliate; more socially acceptable); in this scenario, the daughter might shout at her dog for demanding attention rather than shout at her father. (Choice C) Projection involves attributing one's own unacceptable impulses or feelings to another person (eg, if this woman were to accuse her husband of resenting her father). (Choice E) Splitting is a defense mechanism commonly seen in borderline personality disorder in which an individual is unable to integrate mixed feelings (eg, seeing others as alternately "all bad" and "all good"). This woman does not have mixed feelings; she is transforming her negative feelings into solicitous behavior. (Choice F) Sublimation is a mature defense mechanism in which a person channels unacceptable thoughts or impulses into socially acceptable behavior, which is similar to the original thought/impulse and provides satisfaction (eg, if this woman channeled her aggression into athletic pursuits); in reaction formation, the behavior is opposite and does not provide satisfaction. (Choice G) Suppression is a mature defense mechanism involving the conscious withholding of unpleasant feelings in order to manage reality (eg, if this woman, although aware of her resentment, were to put it aside rather than behave in an over-solicitous manner to disguise her true emotions). Educational objective: Reaction formation is a defense mechanism that involves transforming unacceptable feelings and impulses into their extreme opposites. References: Understanding defense mechanisms. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26583439)

A 58-Year-Old Woman Brings Her Elderly Father to the Office