Rachel just gave birth to her first child. Unfortunately, the baby was born with significant heart, lung, and kidney damage and is in the neonatal intensive care unit. Though the baby is only surviving because of all of the life support machines he is hooked up to, Rachel refuses to acknowledge the severity of the situation and instead talks about what outfits the baby can wear and whether he'll like his nursery at home. Which of the following defense mechanisms may best explain Rachel's refusal to acknowledge how ill her newborn son really is?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

By talking about his future and whether he'll like his nursery, Rachel is showing that she is not admitting to herself how grave the situation actually is.

Rachel Just Gave Birth to Her First Child