A child coping by focusing on technical details to avoid emotional distress is displaying which defense mechanism?

A child coping by focusing on technical details to avoid emotional distress is displaying which defense mechanism?

• A. Denial
• B. Intellectualization
• C. Repression
• D. Projection

Answer: (B)

Intellectualization involves coping with emotional distress by focusing on technical details and factual information rather than feelings. When a child avoids emotional impact by concentrating on procedures, measurements, and other rational aspects, they are using this defense mechanism to keep distress at bay. Denial would mean refusing to acknowledge reality, repression would push distress out of awareness, and projection would attribute one’s own feelings to someone else. So the behavior described aligns with intellectualization.

Intellectualization involves coping with emotional distress by focusing on technical details and factual information rather than feelings. When a child avoids emotional impact by concentrating on procedures, measurements, and other rational aspects, they are using this defense mechanism to keep distress at bay. Denial would mean refusing to acknowledge reality, repression would push distress out of awareness, and projection would attribute one’s own feelings to someone else. So the behavior described aligns with intellectualization.