Psychosocial Content

Question 1

Denial

Answer 1

[coping mechanism]

refusal to accept what is happening, acting as though the event didn’t occur

Question 2

Regression

Answer 2

[coping mechanism]

reversion to an earlier state of development in the face of troubling or difficult to deal with news

Question 3

Repression

Answer 3

[coping mechanism]

unconscious blocking of unwanted feelings or informations

Question 4

Reaction Formation

Answer 4

[coping mechanism]

expressing the opposite of what is actually felt (ie. laughing when sad)

Question 5

Intellectualization

Answer 5

[coping mechanism]

dealing with difficult emotions by trying to gather or process large amounts of information

Question 6

Projection

Answer 6

[coping mechanism]

putting the feelings you have onto others instead of facing them

Question 7

Sublimation

Answer 7

[coping mechanism]

expressing feelings of sadness or anger in “socially acceptable” ways

Question 8

Rationalization

Answer 8

[coping mechanism]

Distortion of the truth to make an event/ feelings less scary or overwhelming

Question 9

Displacement

Answer 9

[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)

Question 10

Confronting

Answer 10

[coping strategy]

trying to change the opinion of the person in charge

Question 11

Distancing

Answer 11

[coping strategy]

pretending nothing has happened (similar to denial)

Question 12

Self-controlling

Answer 12

[coping strategy]

keeping feelings/emotions to oneself

Question 13

Seeking social support

Answer 13

[coping strategy]

engaging with support groups/conversation to learn more

Question 14

accepting responsibility

Answer 14

[coping strategy]

self-criticizing

Question 15

Escape-avoidance

Answer 15

[coping strategy]

avoiding the unwanted information
“hoping for a miracle”

Question 16

Planning

Answer 16

[coping strategy]

identifying and following a plan

Question 17

Positive reappraisal

Answer 17

[coping strategy]

identifying existing potential

Question 18

Psychosocial ABCs

Answer 18

A - appearance/affect
B - behaviour
C - cognitive processing/coping

Question 19

Transference

Answer 19

redirection of feelings from a past situation/relationship to the current relationship

describes the patients’ feelings towards the counselor

Question 20

Countertransference

Answer 20

the counselor’s feelings to the patient, often a reaction to transference

Question 21

What is the most important thing to remember when answering psychosocial questions?

Answer 21

What is the most immediate and appropriate action