A patient with a substance abuse disorder tells the nurse that the only reason that he uses drugs is because his family and job are so stressful and suffocating. Which defense mechanism describes the patient’s statement?

Rationalization. This patient is using rationalization when he is trying to justify and excuse his drug use by blaming the stress of his family and job. Denial would be if he did not acknowledge that he was using drugs or had a problem. Regression is avoiding the issue by retreating into a more immature personality traits. Projection would be characterized by ascribing a drug problem to another person.

A patient with a substance abuse disorder tells the nurse that th...

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Psychosocial Integrity
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Category: Psychosocial Integrity
Difficulty: 5

Topics: Lifestyle Choices and High Risk Behavior Mental Health Disorders

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Rationale

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