A mother and her child sit in a playroom on the pediatric unit. The bo

A mother and her child sit in a playroom on the pediatric unit. The boy wants to play with a toy that another child has but the mother says no. The child cries, throws a block, and runs over to kick the door. This child is using a mechanism known as:

1. Displacement
2. Compensation
3. Conversion
4. Denial

ANSWER

ANS: 1
Displacement is transferring emotions, ideas, or wishes from a stressful situation to a less anxie-ty-producing substitute. Compensation is making up for a deficiency in one aspect of self-image by strongly emphasizing a feature considered an asset. Conversion is unconsciously repressing an anxiety-producing emotional conflict and transforming it into nonorganic symptoms. Denial is avoiding emotional conflicts by refusing to consciously acknowledge anything that might cause intolerable emotional pain.