Psychosocial Content Flashcards
Denial
[coping mechanism]
refusal to accept what is happening, acting as though the event didn’t occur
Regression
[coping mechanism]
reversion to an earlier state of development in the face of troubling or difficult to deal with news
Repression
[coping mechanism]
unconscious blocking of unwanted feelings or informations
Reaction Formation
[coping mechanism]
expressing the opposite of what is actually felt (ie. laughing when sad)
Intellectualization
[coping mechanism]
dealing with difficult emotions by trying to gather or process large amounts of information
Projection
[coping mechanism]
putting the feelings you have onto others instead of facing them
Sublimation
[coping mechanism]
expressing feelings of sadness or anger in “socially acceptable” ways
Rationalization
[coping mechanism]
Distortion of the truth to make an event/ feelings less scary or overwhelming
Displacement
[coping mechanism]
redirection of emotions/feelings to an object that is less threatening
(ex: the test results aren’t right because the lab is incompetent)
Confronting
[coping strategy]
trying to change the opinion of the person in charge
Distancing
[coping strategy]
pretending nothing has happened (similar to denial)
Self-controlling
[coping strategy]
keeping feelings/emotions to oneself
Seeking social support
[coping strategy]
engaging with support groups/conversation to learn more
accepting responsibility
[coping strategy]
self-criticizing
Escape-avoidance
[coping strategy]
avoiding the unwanted information
“hoping for a miracle”
Planning
[coping strategy]
identifying and following a plan
Positive reappraisal
[coping strategy]
identifying existing potential
Psychosocial ABCs
A - appearance/affect
B - behaviour
C - cognitive processing/coping
Transference
redirection of feelings from a past situation/relationship to the current relationship
describes the patients’ feelings towards the counselor
Countertransference
the counselor’s feelings to the patient, often a reaction to transference
What is the most important thing to remember when answering psychosocial questions?
What is the most immediate and appropriate action
