Question

A client slammed a door on the unit several times. The nurse responds, "You seem angry." The client states, "I'm not angry." What therapeutic communication technique has the nurse employed and what defense mechanism is the client unconsciously demonstrating?

A. Making observations and the defense mechanism of suppression
B. Verbalizing the implied and the defense mechanism of denial
C. Reflection and the defense mechanism of projection
D. Encouraging descriptions of perceptions and the defense mechanism of displacement

Answer 1

Option (B), The nurse used the technique of verbalizing the implied to address the client's anger, and the client's response suggests the use of the denial defense mechanism.

Step-by-step explanation:

The therapeutic communication technique that the nurse has employed is verbalizing the implied, and the defense mechanism that the client is unconsciously demonstrating is denial. By verbalizing the implied, the nurse is acknowledging the nonverbal cues of anger seen from the client slamming the door, though the client verbally denies feeling this way.

Defense mechanisms are unconscious protective behaviors that work to reduce anxiety, and in this case, the client is denying the feelings of anger that are being expressed through their actions.