A nurse in a mental health facility is caring for a client who is being aggressive toward other clients. Which of the following actions is the priority for the nurse to take?

Choice A reason: This response may seem dismissive and could minimize the client's feelings. It's important to acknowledge the client's emotions as valid and unique to their experience, rather than comparing them to others.

Choice B reason: This response invites the client to share their feelings in a non-judgmental space and shows the nurse's willingness to listen. It respects the client's autonomy and provides an opportunity for them to open up about their concerns at their own pace.

Choice C reason: While this response is meant to be reassuring, it may inadvertently invalidate the client's feelings. Embarrassment is a personal emotion, and what might seem trivial to one person can be significant to another.

Choice D reason: This response implies that sharing will lead to relief, which may not always be the case. It also puts pressure on the client to disclose information before they are ready, which could be counterproductive.

Choice A reason: Denial is a defense mechanism where a person refuses to accept reality or facts, acting as if a painful event, thought, or feeling did not exist. It is considered one of the most primitive of the defense mechanisms because it is characteristic of early childhood development. In this scenario, the client does not deny the event but rather does not remember it, which does not align with the characteristics of denial.

Choice B reason: Rationalization involves explaining an unacceptable behavior or feeling in a rational or logical manner, avoiding the true reasons for the behavior. This defense mechanism is often used to justify actions or feelings that may otherwise be unacceptable. In the case of the client, there is no indication that they are trying to justify or rationalize their behavior or feelings; they simply do not recall the event.

Choice C reason: Displacement transfers emotions, ideas, or wishes from a stressful situation to a less anxiety-producing substitute. It involves taking out our frustrations, feelings, and impulses on people or objects that are less threatening. Displacement can manifest as a kick to a door after an argument with a person. Since the client's statement does not involve shifting emotional responses to another object or person, displacement is not the defense mechanism at play here.

Choice D reason: Repression is an unconscious mechanism employed by the ego to keep disturbing or threatening thoughts from becoming conscious. In the case of the client, forgetting the details of a traumatic event like a physical assault could be a form of repression, where the mind avoids the pain of recalling such events by keeping those memories out of conscious awareness. This aligns with the client's statement of not remembering the assault.