need help with your account or subscription? click here to email us (or see the contact page)
join telegramNEW! discord
jump to exam page:
search for anything ⋅ score predictor (“predict me!”)

Retired NBME 22 Answers

nbme22/Block 4/Question#33 (reveal difficulty score)
A 38-year-old single woman with a history of ...
Displacement 🔍 / 📺 / 🌳 / 📖
tags:

 Login (or register) to see more


 +35  upvote downvote
submitted by kernicterusthefrog(139)
get full access to all contentpick a username

"she feels happier and more relaxed" after starting kickboxing: this is a MATURE defense mechanism (classic textbook sublimation, as has been said). This question is just plain wrong. It's not displacement, because it's a healthy, socially acceptable outlet that improves her emotional state; punching bags are meant to be punched (thus it is actually NOT neutral). Displacement to an object would be punching a hole in her wall, or breaking her vase (I just like that imagery). Both of those would be better than punching her family, or breaking their car window, which is why it's displacement (unconscious redirection of an emotion to a safer object). However, kickboxing is LITERALLY an example in several psych textbooks for sublimation. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

get full access to all contentpick a username
jaxx  Meanwhile, I thought everything was wrong so I went with another Mature defense mechanism. +17
happyhib_  What if, just what if. Her taking time to do lessions was actually hurting her children by her having less time to spend with them and in turn not providing good care for them. (less of a mature defense mech now). Trust me I agree completely just not best answer, but given what we are given you could argue beyond that; amboss even says "a mom showing her feelings of anger towards the child instead of the actual problem, the husband". So in a way she is not addressing her actual problem (which she COULD address). +1
kernicteruscandycorn  I support your assertion, fellow kernicterus +2
madamestep  I like to think of Sublimation as Regina George at the end of Mean Girls thriving at field hockey. +1

Yeah, and the First Aid example of Suppression is:

  • "Teenager’s aggressive urges toward his parents’ high expectations are channeled into excelling in sports."

which is essentially this exact situation

This question is WACK yo



 +32  upvote downvote
submitted by joha961(45)
get full access to all contentpick a username

Like others have said, I think sublimation would have been better, but displacement from first aid says that it is, “redirection of emotions or impulses to a neutral person or object” so she’s kicking her family by kicking the bag.

get full access to all contentpick a username
djeffs1  Not if you're sexist and think its inappropriate for women to participate in kickboxing... +2
chaosawaits  The sexism in some questions is thicc +
kani  your answer made me laugh so much. +



 +8  upvote downvote
submitted by paperbackwriter(161)
get full access to all contentpick a username

I got so angry at this question. At least this lady had a punching bag

get full access to all contentpick a username



 +5  upvote downvote
submitted by borborygnoramus(5)
get full access to all contentpick a username

As best as I could tell, it was displacement because the other choices were definitely wrong, not b/c displacement was a good choice. Felt like there were lots of this type of question on this exam.

get full access to all contentpick a username
diffuseaxonalinjury  I ended up choosing displacement bc sublimation wasn't there + in the beginning of the question, it said "she's angry at her family for not helping her" so my thought was she's displacing her anger about her child's illness on her family (a neutral 3rd party). wack question regardless. +13



 +0  upvote downvote
submitted by nbrowne1(1)
get full access to all contentpick a username

I think this question was asking about the anger that she expresses toward her family for not helping out more, which is really displacement of her stress related to caring for an ill child. The kickboxing is a second coping mechanism(Sublimation).

get full access to all contentpick a username



Must-See Comments from nbme22

sacredazn on Unrearranged immunoglobulin gene
seagull on Decreased binding of RNA polymerase
seagull on Anticholinergic
mcl on Area labeled ‘D’
liverdietrying on Release of stored thyroid hormone from a ...
kernicterusthefrog on Displacement
keycompany on Negative nitrogen balance
joha961 on Displacement
imgdoc on Area labeled ‘C’ (Abducens nucleus, right)
alwaysanonymous on 25 mL/cm H2O
drdoom on 1 in 600
seagull on Glutamine
yotsubato on Phase variation
bubbles on Acute retroviral infection

search for anything NEW!