RUHS, Jaipur, PB B.Sc Nursing Entrance-2023
Mental Health Nursing
Easy
The expression of emotional conflicts through physical symptoms is which type of defense mechanism?
Appeared in: RUHS, Jaipur, PB B.Sc Nursing Entrance-2023
Explanation
- Conversion is the specific defense mechanism where an internal psychological conflict manifests as a physical symptom.
- The key feature is the transformation (or 'conversion') of emotional distress into a bodily ailment, such as sudden blindness, paralysis, or mutism.
- These physical symptoms are not intentionally produced and lack a corresponding neurological or medical explanation, distinguishing them from feigning illness (malingering).
- For example, a soldier who has overwhelming anxiety about combat might suddenly develop paralysis in their legs, preventing them from returning to the front line. The paralysis is real to them but has no physical cause.
Why Other Options Were Wrong
- Option A: Denial is the refusal to accept or acknowledge an external reality or fact that is too painful to confront. It does not involve the creation of physical symptoms.
- Option C: Sublimation is a mature defense mechanism that involves redirecting unacceptable or primitive impulses into socially valued and constructive activities. It does not produce physical symptoms.
- Option D: Suppression is the conscious, deliberate, and intentional act of pushing unwanted thoughts, feelings, or memories out of one's mind. Conversion is an unconscious process.
Related Visual
Clinical Relevance
- Nursing practice connection: Use the key finding related to Ego Defense Mechanisms to guide bedside assessment, documentation, and the next nursing action.
- Nurses must be able to differentiate between conversion disorder, somatic symptom disorder, and malingering. A key nursing role is to build a therapeutic, non-judgmental relationship to encourage the patient to verbalize feelings, which can reduce the need for physical symptom expression.
- Assessment should include a thorough physical workup to rule out organic causes while simultaneously exploring recent stressors or emotional conflicts in the patient's life.
- What if? If the patient was consciously and intentionally faking a physical symptom (e.g., pretending to have a headache) to get out of an exam, the correct term would be 'malingering,' not conversion. The key difference is conscious intent for a clear secondary gain.
How to Approach the Question
- First, break down the question stem. The key phrases are 'expression of emotional conflicts' and 'through physical symptoms'.
- This is a recall question requiring knowledge of psychiatric defense mechanisms. The goal is to match the definition in the stem to the correct term.
- Evaluate each option: 'Conversion' literally means to change something from one form to another. In this context, it's changing emotional pain into a physical problem. This is a direct match.
- Consider 'Denial'. This is about refusing to accept reality, not about physical symptoms.
- Consider 'Sublimation'. This is about channeling negative energy into positive actions, not physical symptoms.
- Consider 'Suppression'. This is a conscious act of pushing thoughts away. The question implies an unconscious process that results in physical manifestation. Therefore, conversion is the best fit.
Concept Tested & Keywords
- Concept Tested: Ego Defense Mechanisms
- Stem keywords: emotional conflicts, physical symptoms, defense mechanism
- Lead-in keywords: which type
- Negative lead-in flag: false
Question ID
Q4eI8Fb-wf8WNmc1krVPBZ
Reference Book
E6 Robert Boland, Marcia L. Verduin - Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Text of Psychiatry-Wolters Kluwer Health (2024) (pp 1-16525 of 16525) pp. 2994-2996, 2997-2999
E6 Kaplan Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry-2022 (pp 1-3768 of 3768) p. 3351-3353
Practise the full RUHS, Jaipur, PB B.Sc Nursing Entrance-2023
Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.
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