The client tells the nurse, 'I thought my psychiatrist was the best doctor in the world. I thought he understood me completely. Now, I hate him! He doesn't understand me at all. He's just dumping me to go on a 2-week vacation.' The nurse assesses the client's description of feelings about the physician as evidence of the use of:
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The correct answer is A: Splitting. Splitting is a defense mechanism where a person sees things in extremes of either all good or all bad. In this scenario, the client initially idealizes the psychiatrist as the best doctor, then suddenly devalues and hates him for taking a vacation, indicating a shift from all good to all bad. This extreme change in perception is characteristic of splitting.
B: Projective identification involves projecting one's own feelings onto another person and then identifying with those projected feelings. This choice does not fit the scenario as the client is not projecting their feelings onto the psychiatrist.
C: Isolation of affect refers to the separation of feelings from ideas and events. The client's strong emotions towards the psychiatrist do not demonstrate a lack of emotional expression or detachment from feelings.
D: Dissociation is a defense mechanism where thoughts, feelings, and experiences are separated from conscious awareness. The client's reaction does not suggest a disconnection from reality or consciousness.