Forgetting a loved one's birthday after a bitter argument is an example of?

RUHS, Jaipur, M.Sc Nursing Entrance Exam-2021

Mental Health Nursing

Medium

Appeared in: RUHS, Jaipur, M.Sc Nursing Entrance Exam-2021

Explanation

Repression is an unconscious defense mechanism where the mind involuntarily blocks distressing thoughts or memories from entering conscious awareness.
It acts as a protective barrier, pushing anxiety-provoking information into the unconscious mind to reduce emotional pain.
In this scenario, the bitter argument created significant emotional distress. To shield the individual from this pain, the mind unconsciously 'forgets' the associated event—the loved one's birthday.
This is a classic example of motivated forgetting, where a memory lapse is linked to a desire to avoid a painful feeling.

Why Other Options Were Wrong

Option A: Denial is the refusal to accept a painful external reality. The person in the scenario is not denying the argument happened; they are forgetting something related to it.
Option B: Compensation involves making up for a perceived deficit in one area by excelling in another. This has no connection to forgetting a memory after an argument.
Option C: Displacement involves shifting emotions from the original source to a safer target. The scenario describes forgetting, not redirecting feelings.

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Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Psychiatric Nursing: Ego Defense Mechanisms as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Understanding defense mechanisms helps nurses recognize how patients cope with the stress of illness, trauma, or hospitalization, allowing for more empathetic and effective communication.
Identifying a patient's primary defense style (e.g., immature vs. neurotic) can help the nurse anticipate patient behaviors and tailor interventions to be more therapeutic.
What if? If the person consciously and deliberately decided not to call on the birthday because they were still angry, the mechanism would be Suppression, which is a voluntary act, not the involuntary process of Repression.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the key action and the context in the question stem. The action is 'forgetting,' and the context is 'after a bitter argument.'
Recognize that the question is asking you to identify a psychological defense mechanism.
Evaluate the nature of the 'forgetting.' Is it a conscious choice or an involuntary lapse? The phrasing implies it's an unintentional, unconscious act to avoid the pain associated with the argument.
Review the definitions of the options. Repression is the unconscious blocking of painful memories.
Compare this definition to the other options: Denial is refusing to accept reality, Displacement is shifting emotions, and Compensation is making up for a weakness.
Conclude that unconscious forgetting due to emotional pain is the textbook definition of Repression, making it the best fit.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Psychiatric Nursing: Ego Defense Mechanisms
Stem keywords: forgetting, loved one's birthday, bitter argument
Lead-in keywords: example of
Clinical cues: The key elements are a painful event (the argument) leading to an involuntary memory lapse (forgetting), which points to an unconscious defense.
Negative lead-in flag: false

Question ID

Q67H2ANc5-EPj8pP09ht78

Reference Book

E6 Kaplan Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry-2022 (pp 1-3768 of 3768) p. 3344-3346

E6 Robert Boland, Marcia L. Verduin - Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Text of Psychiatry-Wolters Kluwer Health (2024) (pp 1-16525 of 16525) p. 2577-2579

Explanation

Why Other Options Were Wrong

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Question ID

Reference Book

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