A patient with borderline disorder tells the nurse, It's hard to ...

[Medesa]

A patient with borderline disorder tells the nurse, It's hard to figure out who I am. Sometimes I'm sexually attracted to women and sometimes to men. The nurse using Freudian concepts can analyze this as a developmental problem related to:
 
  a. Lack of separation-individuation
  b. Isolation of affect during latency
  c. Impaired development of sexual identity during the phallic stage
  d. Overdevelopment of latency stage traits related to control issues

Question 2

The patient tells the nurse, I thought my doctor understood me completely. Now, I hate him He doesn't understand me at all. The nurse assesses the patient's description of feelings about the physician as evidence of the use of:
 
  a. Splitting
  b. Dissociation
  c. Isolation of affect
  d. Projective identification

[Toya9913]

Answer to Question 1

ANS: C
According to Freud, identifying one's sexual identity takes place during the phallic stage of development. When sexual identity is not clearly established, the individual may express confusion in sexual preference. The other options do not relate to information given in the scenario.

Answer to Question 2

ANS: A
Splitting is the inability to synthesize the positive and negative aspects of self and others. It manifests as idealization and devaluation. Definitions of the other defenses listed do not fit the description of the behavior in the scenario.