A staff nurse, who was called by the Nursing Superintendent for feedback on poor performance, spent the remaining time of the shift blaming her supervisor and colleagues. The mental mechanism used by her is?

Appeared in: SCTIMST Staff Nurse - 2015 (Set-A)

Explanation

Projection is an unconscious defense mechanism where a person attributes their own unacceptable thoughts, feelings, or faults to someone else.
In this case, the nurse is confronted with the anxiety-provoking reality of her 'poor performance'.
To protect her ego, she unconsciously projects this fault onto her supervisor and colleagues, blaming them instead of accepting personal responsibility.
This shifting of blame from oneself to an external source is the defining characteristic of projection.

Option B: Reaction formation involves expressing the opposite of what one truly feels. The nurse is expressing blame and anger, which is likely congruent with her feelings of being criticized, not the opposite.
Option C: Rationalization is about making excuses or justifying one's behavior with a plausible but untrue reason. The nurse is not making an excuse for her performance; she is directly blaming others for it.
Option D: Compensation involves overachieving in one area to make up for a deficiency in another. The nurse's behavior of blaming others does not involve highlighting a strength or excelling in another task.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: Knowing Defense Mechanisms in Psychology helps nurses interpret findings accurately and avoid errors in routine assessment, medication administration, and patient teaching.
As a nurse leader, identifying projection in a team member is the first step to managing conflict. It allows the leader to address the underlying insecurity rather than getting into a cycle of blame.
Understanding defense mechanisms helps nurses provide more empathetic care to patients who might be using them to cope with a difficult diagnosis (e.g., a patient in denial about their illness).
Self-awareness of one's own defense mechanisms is critical for professional growth and maintaining healthy interpersonal relationships within the healthcare team.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the trigger in the scenario: The nurse receives negative feedback about her 'poor performance'.
Next, analyze the nurse's reaction: She 'blames her supervisor and colleagues'.
Define the core action: The nurse is taking an internal fault (her own poor performance) and attributing it to external people.
Review the definitions of the options. Projection is the act of attributing one's own unacceptable qualities or feelings to others.
Match the action to the definition. The nurse's act of blaming others for her own failure is a direct match for projection.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Defense Mechanisms in Psychology
Stem keywords: staff nurse, feedback, poor performance, blaming, supervisor, colleagues
Lead-in keywords: mental mechanism
Clinical cues: The nurse's reaction of blaming others immediately after receiving negative feedback is the key clinical cue.

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E6 Psychology Applied Sreevani 6e Sem1 p. 69-71

E6 Psychology Applied Sreevani 5e p. 68-70

E6 Psychology Morgan King 9e Part 2 p. 187-189

Practise the full SCTIMST Staff Nurse - 2015 (Set-A)

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.