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NUR 2488 MENTAL HEALTH EXAM 2 STUDY GUIDE
Exam 2
Defense Mechanisms
Passive aggression
Rationalization
o Creating reasonable and acceptable explanations for unacceptable
behavior.
Acting out
Dissociation
o Creating a temporary compartmentalization or lack of connection
between the person's identity, memory, or how they perceive the
environment.
Devaluation
Immatur o When emotional conflicts or stressors are handled by attributing
negative qualities to self or others.
Idealization
o When people idealize, and overvalue a person in a new relationship,
they are sure to be disappointed when the object of the idealization
turns out to be human.
Splitting
o Demonstrating an inability to reconcile negative and positive
attributes of self or others.
Projection
o Attributing one's unacceptable thoughts and feelings onto another who
does not have them.
Denial
o Pretending the truth is not reality to manage the anxiety of
acknowledging what is real.
Altruism
Health o Dealing with anxiety by reaching out to others
Sublimation
o Dealing with unacceptable feelings or impulses by unconsciously
substituting acceptable forms of expression.
Suppression
o Conscious denial of unpleasant thoughts and feelings.
Humor
Displacement
, 2
o Transfer of emotions associated with a particular person, object, or
Intermedi situation to another person, object, or situation that is nonthreatening.
Reaction formation
o Overcompensating or demonstrating the opposite behavior of what is
felt.
Somatization
o Often symptom functions as an attention-seeking device or as an
excuse.
Undoing
o Performing an act to make up for prior behavior.
Levels of anxiety
Mild
o May have heightened perceptual field. Is alert and can see, hear, and
grasp what is happening in the environment. Can identify issues that
are disturbing and are producing anxiety.
o Manifestations
Slight discomfort
Attention-seeking behaviors
Restlessness
Irritability or impatience
Mild tension-relieving behavior: foot or finger tapping, lip
chewing, fidgeting
Moderate
o Has narrow perceptual field; grasps less of what is occurring. Can
attend to more if pointed out by another (selective inattention). Able
to solve problems but not at optimal ability Benefits from guidance of
others.
o Manifestations
Voice tremors
Change in voice pitch
Difficulty concentrating; SELECTIVE ATTENTION
Shakiness
Repetitive questioning
Somatic complaints (e.g., urinary frequency and urgency,
headache, backache, insomnia)
Increased respiration rate
Increased pulse rate
NUR 2488 MENTAL HEALTH EXAM 2 STUDY GUIDE
Exam 2
Defense Mechanisms
Passive aggression
Rationalization
o Creating reasonable and acceptable explanations for unacceptable
behavior.
Acting out
Dissociation
o Creating a temporary compartmentalization or lack of connection
between the person's identity, memory, or how they perceive the
environment.
Devaluation
Immatur o When emotional conflicts or stressors are handled by attributing
negative qualities to self or others.
Idealization
o When people idealize, and overvalue a person in a new relationship,
they are sure to be disappointed when the object of the idealization
turns out to be human.
Splitting
o Demonstrating an inability to reconcile negative and positive
attributes of self or others.
Projection
o Attributing one's unacceptable thoughts and feelings onto another who
does not have them.
Denial
o Pretending the truth is not reality to manage the anxiety of
acknowledging what is real.
Altruism
Health o Dealing with anxiety by reaching out to others
Sublimation
o Dealing with unacceptable feelings or impulses by unconsciously
substituting acceptable forms of expression.
Suppression
o Conscious denial of unpleasant thoughts and feelings.
Humor
Displacement
, 2
o Transfer of emotions associated with a particular person, object, or
Intermedi situation to another person, object, or situation that is nonthreatening.
Reaction formation
o Overcompensating or demonstrating the opposite behavior of what is
felt.
Somatization
o Often symptom functions as an attention-seeking device or as an
excuse.
Undoing
o Performing an act to make up for prior behavior.
Levels of anxiety
Mild
o May have heightened perceptual field. Is alert and can see, hear, and
grasp what is happening in the environment. Can identify issues that
are disturbing and are producing anxiety.
o Manifestations
Slight discomfort
Attention-seeking behaviors
Restlessness
Irritability or impatience
Mild tension-relieving behavior: foot or finger tapping, lip
chewing, fidgeting
Moderate
o Has narrow perceptual field; grasps less of what is occurring. Can
attend to more if pointed out by another (selective inattention). Able
to solve problems but not at optimal ability Benefits from guidance of
others.
o Manifestations
Voice tremors
Change in voice pitch
Difficulty concentrating; SELECTIVE ATTENTION
Shakiness
Repetitive questioning
Somatic complaints (e.g., urinary frequency and urgency,
headache, backache, insomnia)
Increased respiration rate
Increased pulse rate
