When an adult is under a great deal of stress, he is refusing to leave his bed and engage in normal day-to-day activities. What defense mechanism is used by him?

Appeared in: RUHS, Jaipur, PB B.Sc Nursing Entrance-2019

Explanation

Regression is a defense mechanism characterized by a return to an earlier, less mature stage of functioning to cope with stress.
The behavior described—refusing to leave bed and avoiding daily activities—is a classic example of reverting to a more dependent, childlike state to escape adult pressures and responsibilities.
This retreat allows the individual to unconsciously seek the comfort and reduced expectations associated with being cared for, thus alleviating the anxiety from the current stressor.

Why Other Options Were Wrong

Option A: Denial involves refusing to accept an external reality. The man is not denying the stress; he is reacting to it by changing his behavior.
Option C: Repression is the unconscious blocking of internal thoughts or memories from awareness. The behavior in the question is a conscious (or at least observable) action, not an involuntary forgetting of a feeling.
Option D: Displacement involves redirecting emotions onto a different, less threatening target. The man is withdrawing, not transferring his feelings onto another person or object.

Related Visual

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: Knowing Ego Defense Mechanisms helps nurses interpret findings accurately and avoid errors in routine assessment, medication administration, and patient teaching.
Recognizing defense mechanisms is crucial for nurses to understand a patient's behavior and underlying emotional distress.
Instead of judging the behavior, the nurse can identify it as a coping mechanism and implement therapeutic interventions to address the root cause of the anxiety.
What if the patient was not only staying in bed but also started talking in a childlike voice? This would be an even more pronounced form of regression, signaling a deeper level of distress that requires urgent psychiatric evaluation.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the core behavior described in the clinical scenario. Here, it is an adult retreating from responsibilities and staying in bed.
Next, recall the definitions of the four defense mechanisms listed in the options.
Compare the observed behavior to each definition. The act of reverting to a dependent, inactive state most closely matches the definition of Regression.
Eliminate the other options by identifying why they don't fit. The behavior is not a refusal to accept reality (Denial), an unconscious forgetting (Repression), or a redirection of feelings (Displacement).

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Ego Defense Mechanisms
Stem keywords: adult, stress, refusing to leave bed, defense mechanism
Lead-in keywords: What
Clinical cues: The key clinical cue is the specific behavior of withdrawing to bed and ceasing normal activities, which points to a retreat from adult responsibilities.
Negative lead-in flag: false

Question ID

QupT2NNjG14NHcuY3klTjE

Reference Book

E6 Psychology Applied Sreevani 5e p. 67-69

E6 Robert Boland, Marcia L. Verduin - Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Text of Psychiatry-Wolters Kluwer Health (2024) (pp 1-16525 of 16525) p. 2994-2996

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