Difficulty: Medium
Average Score: 84%
Simulated
Which term describes what an adolescent client is experiencing when she says to the nurse who has been caring for her, 'You're just like my mother; I hate you'?
Correct answer
C
Rationale
Transference occurs when a client unconsciously assigns feelings and attitudes originally associated with another important person in the client's life. In this scenario, the adolescent client is projecting emotions connected to her mother onto the nurse. This client's statement does not demonstrate insight but rather reflects the mechanism of transference. Universality refers to the sense that one is not alone in any situation, which is not evident in the client's statement. Identification is a defense mechanism where an individual takes on characteristics of someone considered admirable, which is not the case in this situation.