In which defense mechanism does a person try to channel mentally undesirable motives or activities into an acceptable behaviour?

1. A

   Compensation

2. B

   Sublimation

3. C

   Reaction formation

4. D

   Projection

Appeared in: MNS 2024

Explanation

• Sublimation is a mature defense mechanism where an individual redirects socially unacceptable impulses or desires into activities that are socially acceptable and often productive.
• This process allows for the expression of the original impulse, but in a disguised and constructive form, preventing the anxiety that would result from more direct expression.
• A classic example is an individual with aggressive urges channeling these feelings into becoming a competitive athlete or a surgeon, which are socially valued roles (SRC_25648, SRC_25649).

Why Other Options Were Wrong

• Option A: Compensation involves overachieving in one area to make up for a perceived failure or weakness in another. It doesn't involve channeling an unacceptable impulse, but rather counterbalancing a weakness.
• Option C: Reaction formation is when a person acts in the exact opposite way to their true, unacceptable feelings. It's about masking feelings, not redirecting them into a new activity (SRC_25648).
• Option D: Projection involves attributing one's own unwanted thoughts, feelings, or motives to another person. It's a way of denying one's own unacceptable traits by placing them onto someone else (SRC_25648).

Related Visual

Clinical Relevance

• Nursing practice connection: Knowing Psychological Defense Mechanisms helps nurses interpret findings accurately and avoid errors in routine assessment, medication administration, and patient teaching.
• Recognizing defense mechanisms helps nurses understand a patient's behavior, which may seem illogical or counterproductive. It provides insight into their underlying anxieties and conflicts.
• Identifying a patient's coping style (whether adaptive, like sublimation, or maladaptive, like projection) allows the nurse to provide more empathetic and effective psychosocial support.
• What if? If a patient is using projection and constantly blaming the nursing staff for their own feelings of frustration, the nurse should not get defensive but instead use therapeutic communication to explore the patient's feelings and redirect them towards coping, rather than confronting the projection directly.

How to Approach the Question

• First, identify the core action described in the question stem. The key phrase here is 'channel... undesirable motives... into an acceptable behaviour'.
• Next, recall the definitions of the defense mechanisms listed in the options.
• Compare the action in the stem to each definition. 'Channeling' or 'redirecting' is the specific hallmark of sublimation.
• Eliminate the other options by identifying their core actions: Compensation (making up for a weakness), Reaction Formation (acting the opposite), and Projection (attributing feelings to others).
• Confirm that 'sublimation' is the best fit for the scenario of transforming a negative impulse into a positive or neutral action.

Concept Tested & Keywords

• Concept Tested: Psychological Defense Mechanisms
• Stem keywords: defense mechanism, channel, undesirable motives, acceptable behaviour
• Lead-in keywords: In which
• Negative lead-in flag: false

Question ID

QarucIYwGhaHzhZktSKZvw

Copy ID

Reference Book

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

E6 Kaplan Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry-2022 (pp 1-3768 of 3768) p. 3349-3351