A woman goes to the airport to pick up her husband,returning from one of many business trips.Persons awaiting his flight are directed to a conference room where airline counselors explain that the flight crashed into the ocean,and it is believed that there are no survivors.The woman tells a counselor that it is too soon to be sure,he might still be alive,clinging to wreckage and waiting to be found.The patient is demonstrating:

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The patient is denying the very likely death of her husband.Denial reduces anxiety,and it is adaptive when it serves to help the patient cope until more adaptive coping strategies and resources can be brought to bear.It would be ineffective denial if it failed to help her anxiety or was not replaced with more effective coping mechanisms.There is no indication that the patient is confused about the circumstances facing her.Trial-and-error problem solving is not in evidence,since it would involve a series of random responses,each tried in turn after the pervious effort failed.

A Woman Goes to the Airport to Pick Up Her