AIIMS Delhi NO-2016
Mental Health Nursing
Medium
An alcohol patient blames his family members for his behaviour. This is known as:
Appeared in: AIIMS Delhi NO-2016
Explanation
- Projection is a defense mechanism where an individual attributes their own unacceptable thoughts, feelings, or motives to another person.
- In the given scenario, the patient is shifting the blame for his drinking problem—an internal issue—onto his family members.
- This psychological maneuver allows the patient to avoid the internal conflict, anxiety, and guilt that would arise from accepting personal responsibility for his actions.
Why Other Options Were Wrong
- Option B: Regression involves reverting to an earlier, more childish stage of development (e.g., thumb-sucking, temper tantrums) when faced with stress. The patient is blaming others, not acting like a child.
- Option C: Suppression is a conscious, intentional effort to push away unpleasant thoughts or feelings. Projection is an unconscious process. The patient is not consciously deciding to blame his family; it's an automatic defense.
- Option D: Denial is the refusal to accept the reality of a situation. While common in alcoholism, the patient in this scenario is not denying his drinking but is instead misattributing the cause. He is blaming others, not denying the problem's existence.
Related Visual
Clinical Relevance
- Nursing practice connection: Use the key finding related to Defense Mechanisms in Mental Health Nursing to guide bedside assessment, documentation, and the next nursing action.
- Recognizing defense mechanisms is crucial for nurses to understand a patient's behavior, build a therapeutic relationship, and avoid power struggles.
- By identifying projection, the nurse can avoid getting caught in the 'blame game' and instead gently guide the patient toward taking responsibility and developing healthier coping skills.
- What if? If the patient had said, 'I don't have a drinking problem at all,' the correct answer would be Denial, as he would be refusing to acknowledge the reality of his condition.
How to Approach the Question
- First, identify the core action in the question stem. The key phrase is 'blames his family members for his behaviour.'
- Next, translate this action into psychological terms. Blaming others for one's own issues is an act of shifting responsibility externally.
- Then, evaluate each option based on its definition. 'Projection' is defined as attributing one's own unacceptable feelings or impulses to others.
- Compare this definition to the action. The patient's blaming of his family is a perfect match for the definition of projection.
- Rule out the other options. The patient is not reverting to a childlike state (Regression), consciously ignoring the issue (Suppression), or refusing to admit the problem exists (Denial). He is admitting the behavior but blaming others for it.
Concept Tested & Keywords
- Concept Tested: Defense Mechanisms in Mental Health Nursing
- Stem keywords: alcohol patient, blames family, behaviour
- Lead-in keywords: known as
- Negative lead-in flag: false
Question ID
QUkGtszIZRrckp5k5ScEBB
Reference Book
E6 Kaplan Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry-2022 (pp 1-3768 of 3768) p. 3344-3346
E6 Psychology Morgan King 9e Part 2 p. 187-189
E6 Robert Boland, Marcia L. Verduin - Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Text of Psychiatry-Wolters Kluwer Health (2024) (pp 1-16525 of 16525) p. 2993-2995
Practise the full AIIMS Delhi NO-2016
Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.
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