What defense mechanisms should a nurse recognize in patients?

Defense mechanisms are unconscious psychological strategies used to reduce anxiety. Common mechanisms include denial, refusing to accept reality; projection, attributing one's own feelings to another; rationalization, creating logical explanations for unacceptable behavior; displacement, redirecting emotions to a safer target; regression, reverting to behaviors from an earlier developmental stage; repression, unconsciously blocking threatening memories; and sublimation, channeling unacceptable impulses into socially acceptable activities. ---