Question
25-year-old woman is brought to the emergency room 1 hour after she ingested 12 pills of acetaminophen. She had a fight with her boyfriend immediately prior to the ingestion, during which she threatened to kill herself if he broke up with her. She has been hospitalized 4 times for overdoses in the past 3 years following breakups with her partners. On the way to the hospital, she screamed and then assaulted the paramedic who attempted to take her temperature. Physical examination shows multiple rows of well-healed scars bilaterally on the wrists. This patient is most likely to display which of the following defense mechanisms?
| A. |
Sublimation
|
| B. |
Displacement
|
| C. |
Splitting
|
| D. |
Controlling
|
Show Answer
|
Correct Answer � C
Explanation
|
|
Splitting
Sublimation
Sublimation is a mature defense mechanism in which an unacceptable impulse or behavior is shifted towards goal-directed, socially acceptable activities (e.g., a man redirects his aggressive behavior into contact sports). It is not a major defense mechanism used by patients with borderline personality disorder.
Displacement
Displacement (psychiatry) is an immature defense mechanism in which an individual redirects emotions in a destructive or socially unacceptable way to a less threatening object or person (e.g., a teenager who is verbally abused by his teacher yells at his younger brother at home). It is not a major defense mechanism used by patients with borderline personality disorder.
Splitting
Splitting is an immature defense mechanism in which an individual classifies people as entirely good or entirely bad and can rapidly shift between these two extreme opinions (e.g., a student who dislikes all teachers but believes all student counselors are good people based on their choice of profession alone). Splitting is a major defense mechanism used by patients with borderline personality disorder.
Controlling
Controlling (psychiatry) is an immature defense mechanism in which an individual attempts to excessively manage or regulate the environment to minimize or avoid anxiety (e.g., a mother will not let her child attend a friend’s birthday party unless she can regulate who else will attend). It is not a major defense mechanism used by patients with borderline personality disorder
