Practice Question
After receiving a poor grade on her exam, Mrs. Smith later becomes irritable and snaps at her roommate during dinner. She does not address her frustration about the exam directly. Which defense mechanism is Mrs. Smith exhibiting?
Answer Choices:
Correct Answer:
Displacement
Rationale:
🔷 Displacement is a defense mechanism where emotional reactions or impulses are transferred from a threatening source to a safer substitute target.
🔷 Mrs. Smith is angry or frustrated about her poor exam grade, but instead of addressing that directly, she snaps at her roommate during dinner.
🔷 The roommate is a less threatening target than the original stressor (the exam or instructor), making it emotionally “safer” to express anger there.
🔷 Displacement allows the person to partially relieve tension without confronting the true source of the emotion.
🔷 This pattern matches displacement, not denial, rationalization, or projection.
Denial
🔷 Denial involves refusing to accept reality or facts, such as insisting the exam grade is wrong or “didn’t happen.”
🔷 In this case, she is reacting emotionally, not denying the poor grade.
Rationalization
🔷 Rationalization means creating acceptable-sounding explanations to justify unacceptable behavior or feelings (e.g., “The exam was unfair”).
🔷 Mrs. Smith is not shown explaining or justifying—she is redirecting anger, not making excuses.
Projection
🔷 Projection occurs when someone attributes their own feelings or impulses to others (e.g., “My roommate is mad at me,” when she herself is angry).
🔷 Here, she is not attributing her emotions to someone else; she is acting them out toward a safer target, which is displacement.
Want to practice more questions like this?
This question is from Custom N1100 Fall 25 Comprehensive Final Exam which contains 86 questions.
More Questions from This Exam
The nurse explains that the body uses various physiologic mechanisms to keep the internal environment in a balanced state. What is this called?
Answer Choices:
A 55-year-old male with a sedentary lifestyle and a history of obesity is undergoing a health assessment. His basal metabolic rate (BMR) is calculated at 1600 kcal/day. During the assessment, the nurse observes that the patient's caloric intake is 2500 kcal/day. What should the nurse PRIORITIZE in the patient's care plan to address his obesity?
Answer Choices:
A patient with severe eczema is experiencing complications that may be related to the impairment of skin functions. Which of the following nursing assessments or interventions address the compromised skin functions? (Select all that apply)
Answer Choices:
Mr. Hosa narrowly avoids a car accident. His body responds with increased energy, heart rate, blood pressure, and alertness. The sympathetic nervous system prepares him to fight or flee. What phase of the stress response is he experiencing?
Answer Choices:
A patient with chronic insomnia is instructed to maintain a sleep diary. How can the nurse evaluate the effectiveness of this intervention over a two-week period?
Answer Choices:
From Exam
Custom N1100 Fall 25 Comprehensive Final Exam
86 Questions
View Full Exam Start PracticingQuestion Details
- Category: RN Nursing Exam(s)
- Subcategory: ATI Exam(s)
- Domain: RN Custom Exam(s)
- Answer Choices: 4