wats mechanism

[ilovetahira]

Ego defense question: Policeman works 24hrs shift…for how long…can’t recall…and then when a co-worker get sick he offers to do her duty as well…what defense mechanism

[Dr. X]

thought btw altruism, sublimation, undoing..

i think altruism would fit best.

[IMG SURVIVOR]

Who else have an idea?

[GFLIP]

I have to agree with Dr X... I can't think of another one that would fit there.

[mammypriya]

I DONT THINK ITS A EGO defence ...poloceman ..policewoman..??may be he likes her and is trying to impress her>>
or he is codependent.or has adhd???:D

[GFLIP]

the question asks which defense mechanism tho.

[mammypriya]

I DONT KNOW WHAT my problem is ...ugh.i meant defence..as in the original question.
forgive me gflip;)

[jameslynton]

Ego defense question: Policeman works 24hrs shift…for how long…can’t recall…and then when a co-worker get sick he offers to do her duty as well…what defense mechanismThis is clearly dissociation - here are the reason why:
1 . Policeman works 24hrs shift…for how long…can’t recall Key here is "can't recall" not being able to recall is clear dissociation. Often they will not have an idea of how long time is or how much time has passed.

2. who in their right mind would work a 24 hour shift then take another 24 hours shift? Well most likely a person with "drum beats" post traumatic stress - what is post traumatic stress? When person goes to sleep have very visual dreams of the stressor! The person then starts to not sleep. Post traumatic stress is classified as a dissociative disorder very much like multiple personality disorders.

3. While old school Doc's teach these as ego defenses - new school psychology does not - these are just defense mechanisms.
Dissociation is a classical defense mechanism as that the person is able to avoid the pain/emotion of the incident (trauma) that causes them to dissociate in the first place.

[jameslynton]

I DONT THINK ITS A EGO defence ...policeman ..policewoman..??may be he likes her and is trying to impress her>>
or he is codependent.or has adhd???:DHumm codependent - this is psycho babble term. There is no such thing as codependent in the DSM IV. It is a word tossed around at AA and other 12 step self help groups. based on a fictional piece of work done by a mail order therapist. It has no science backing it up. It means what ever.... this word makes my horns come out. Sorry!

I doubt a person who works a 24 hours shift and then does another shift is trying to impress anyone - being a medical student and student - you want to impress someone. However, think pathology most people don't want to impress they want to avoid. They are more likely attempting to avoid a situation (ie dissociation) - like a bad home life. The so called Workaholic is really someone avoiding an unpleasant home situation and is in denial of it.

Many people lead their lives in denial - if they did not - they would have to admit how crappy their life really is - then they would have to make changes. Most human families have some pretty wacky feedback systems to keep other's in line and prevent change.

In studying for the step - pick the simple solution. Also stay with what is in the DMS IV - R.

[jameslynton]

Did a search on codependent DSM IV
first hit has:
It is not listed in the DSM IV diagnostic manual. For good reason - read on!

Here is the list of the characteristics given on several sites: Symptoms of codependence are controlling behavior, distrust, perfectionism, avoidance of feelings, problems with intimacy, excessive caretaking, hypervigilance (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypervigilance) or physical illness related to stress. Codependence is often accompanied by depression, as the codependent person succumbs to feelings of frustration or sadness over his or her inability to improve the situation.
Codependence can also be a set of maladaptive, compulsive behaviors learned by family members in order to survive in a family which is experiencing great emotional pain and stress caused, for example, by a family member's alcoholism or other addiction, sexual or other abuse within the family, a family members' chronic illness, or forces external to the family, such as poverty. Muhahahahaha let me get my shovel out....


Well that definition covers a bunch of stuff. I think I just walked in the psycho babble barnyard and need to wash my shoes off - Codependence is a made up term. If you see it on the Step 1 or 2 exam - it is wrong - however, if marked on your step 1 exam - you just passed your "new age" - 12 Step test.

[GFLIP]

JamesL... IloveT asked for a defense mechanism... I would associate dissociation with Dissociative disorders (amnesia, fugue, ect.).

[GFLIP]

Personally, I think we need more info or at least give us an MCQ.

[MDiva]

Just based upon what bit of info the OP gave, a cop works a 24-hour shift, then agrees to do a shift for a co-worker...it could be blocking, suppression or rationalization. Thoughts?

[jameslynton]

JamesL... IloveT asked for a defense mechanism... I would associate dissociation with Dissociative disorders (amnesia, fugue, ect.).This is where disorders and defense get mixed up. A person who dissociates may do so to protect themselves from pain. Many rape victims will dissociate - see themselves out of their body due to pain (either physical or emotional) where as amnesia, fugues are due to blunt trauma injuries or neuroanatomy type lesions and thus disorders. Think of dissociation as a defense process. When you get clinical you will see the difference.

[jameslynton]

Just based upon what bit of info the OP gave, a cop works a 24-hour shift, then agrees to do a shift for a co-worker...it could be blocking, suppression or rationalization. Thoughts?Go to the simple explanation "Blocking and suppression" are both part a dissociative defense. Normally on a rationalization question the the pt will state "I feel so good I could do another shift" or "hey I just want to help her out" but the OP in the question stated "works 24hrs shift…for how long…can’t recall " that clearly is not rationalization but more the dissociated mind's loss of time.

One of the best cases of rationalization was by Charles Atlas of bodybuilder fame. He had a heart attack and decided to go for a run. "so I can get the blood moving again", they found him face down dead in the road. You will see people during the first hours of a heart attack doing pushups and other crazy things...

[jameslynton]

...(amnesia, fugue, ect.).These are very rare conditions always think most common for the step tests. Dissociation - common response to emotional trauma. Amnesia & fugues - very uncommon some people may see only one or two of these in career common.

[GFLIP]

Thanks JL for clearing things up.

[mammypriya]

james...aside from the long post on "codependence" i think you have a valid point with your first post....

what i want to know is whre is tahira lover...and hopefully he /she can tell us what the question is really asking.i mean is you look at the way the question was worded..it was obviously from a copywritten source...and he /she was protecting..the cp policy..yada yada..
so 2 pages ...on this thread and tahira..ANSWER.

AND BTW my post on codependence and adhd...was total bull.:D

[Dr. X]

ya, i was thinking over this question and i really dont know why it keeps on trippin me. Dissociation is a defense mech. and it sounds about right than others. i think the q. doesnt provide enough info so its really hard to be sure on particular one.

[jameslynton]

james...aside from the long post on "codependence" i think you have a valid point with your first post....

what i want to know is whre is tahira lover...and hopefully he /she can tell us what the question is really asking.i mean is you look at the way the question was worded..it was obviously from a copywritten source...and he /she was protecting..the cp policy..yada yada..
so 2 pages ...on this thread and tahira..ANSWER.

AND BTW my post on codependence and adhd...was total bull.:DSorry about the long post on codependence - like I said it makes my horns come out. I have an MS in counseling. I also did part of my internship in and A&D hospital. My teachers told me to use only what is proven in the literature. In group, we would hear that so and so was codependent, or I am codependent etc. It was the big AA/12 step cop out word. By the way if you have a drug or Alcohol problem - I am not a fan of AA - get professional help. Now back to topic, on the step 1 what trips people up in behavior science is it helps to have seen many of the conditions - but we read them in a book without the practical experience and you have teachers that are pretty boring on the topics. When you look at the borderline personality disorder in the DSM-IV most likely it will not click. When you see it in clinical situations - then it clicks when the Pt pushes all your buttons in the first five minutes of your interview or you see self mutilation scars up and down their arms. Then it clicks what self destructive behavior is about. When you see the Pt get close to the emotional/pain event then zone out with a glazed look in their eye and they can't remember - then you understand what dissociation is all about. ADHD is easy to spot - they can't sit still.

[jameslynton]

ya, i was thinking over this question and i really dont know why it keeps on trippin me. Dissociation is a defense mech. and it sounds about right than others. i think the q. doesnt provide enough info so its really hard to be sure on particular one.You could have tons of information in behavior science and still not be sure. So you have to look for clue words in behavior and quoted phases.

[mammypriya]

By the way if you have a drug or Alcohol problem - I am not a fan of AA - get professional help.
lol lol james...easy there....
i dont think that "codependece" is a cop out word....its used by professionals ,NOT just AA/AANON . and it is proven in literature..plenty of them...it does not have to be in DSM 4 TO BE REAL.
May be DSM 5 will have it.after all they were all written by ppl like us.and there used to be a DSM 1

just my two cents...
"tahira lover whre are u.."

[jameslynton]

...it is proven in literature..plenty of them...it does not have to be in DSM 4 TO BE REAL....I am gone to have fun with this one. Three pages of books on Amazon does not make behavior science literature done by non PhD who are not APA qualified psychologist valid.

Yes, some professionals use the term because it is pop culture/psycho babble term that is general and broad enough to cover a bunch of symptoms. Sort of like how astrology works too. People who are depressed and are in depressing circumstances will grab at any straws to help them in their minds.

I am open minded so I will search pubmed and few others so far this is what I got - not very promising this was the most recent cite!

OBJECTIVE: Despite widespread use of the term codependency, empirical evidence regarding its construct validity is generally lacking. This study analyzed the construct validity of codependency as measured by Potter-Efron and Potter-Efron's Codependency Assessment Questionnaire (CAQ). It attempted to determine the CAQ's factor structure and whether there are any unique relations between symptoms of codependency and parental alcoholism after controlling for basic dimensions of personality and psychopathology. METHOD: Participants were 467 (246 male, 221 female) young adult children of alcoholics and controls who contributed complete questionnaire data at the fourth wave of a longitudinal study of factors related to alcohol use and abuse. RESULTS: The CAQ showed reliability and basically a one dimensional structure, and CAQ scores were significantly related to family history. Although much of this relation between family history and codependency was accounted for by neuroticism and symptoms of general psychopathology, a small, but significant, association between family history and codependency remained even after statistically controlling for personality and psychopathology. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that, although there may be unique aspects of the purported codependency syndrome that are related to a family history of alcoholism, most of the relation between codependency and family history appears to be "explained" by general negative affectivity.


cited from J Stud Alcohol. (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:AL_get%28this,%20%27jour%27,%20%27J%20Stud%20 Alcohol.%27%29;) 1996 Jan;57(1):34-9 Goth HJ, Sher Kj
Do codependent traits involve more than basic dimensions of personality and psychopathology?

Department of Psychology, University of Missouri-Columbia 65211, USA.

[mammypriya]

i give up....:D

where is tahira.....?????

Where the Hell is Matt? (http://wherethehellismatt.com/)

[GFLIP]

is that matt serious? :shock: :shock: :shock:

[MDiva]

Maybe ilovetahira is busy loving Tahira :confused:

[jameslynton]

" where is tahira.....?????" - she does not post that often on the step boards.

[DeepRoller]

Mammypriya (and everyone else, hi!),

I was just reading your posts on this thread. And I can tell you one thing for sure: co-dependence will not be in DSM-V. The DSM's have specificially excluded this type of categorical information since 1980 and DSM-III.

The DSM's up to that point were heavily psychoanalytically-based, but have been considered mostly atheoretical since the 3rd edition. The point of the latest versions has been to group disorders into their categories with behaviors and symptoms that can be easily recognizeable to all practitioners.

James is correct. Co-dependency in this day and age is poppy-****. There is no degree of inter-rator reliablity to the construct. A clinician who is either cognitively- or behaviorally-oriented simply will not regard or think of the concept in the same way as someone who's a psychodynamic therapist. It is too esoteric a concept to be one of scientific significance.
He's right! This is for new agers, and those not educated in the literature of the mental health profession.

The DSM still requires some interpretive work; but most beginning graduate students in psychology or 1st year residents in psychiatry would be able to do this. Simply put: it doesn't take years and years of practice to recognize the oh-so subtle difference in common disorders, like (from the DSM-II era, let's say) Anxiety neurosis and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. You merely look at the symptoms, match them to the list in the book (a diagnostic category, such as Schizoid Personality Disorder--that's what is most-closely like Anxiety neurosis these days), and put your findings in whatever clinical report you use.

The structure of the DSM has been, since its beginnings in 1952, on two basic sets of disorders: those that are severe, and those that are not so severe, both with varying levels of pervasiveness.

This question from the totally-absent ILoveTahira is similar to this. Defense Mechanisms falls under the rubric of psychoanalysis. Oh, sure...all practitioners, even those of us who aren't licensed and certified understand what it means for someone to be defensive. But because the study of defense mechanisms is more esoterica, I can't believe that it's on the USMLE. No one except people who've specifically studied psychoanalytic theory would, or could, know anything about it.

I hope when I get to the point of taking Step 1 they will have officially done away with it--even though I know a little bit about it. Medical School is a little bit about science, isn't it?

Michael

p.s.--AA; my opinion: James is right again! Their whole thing is "we're screwed drunks; but we're screwed up drunks here together."
They've probably helped some people...but they promote what essentially comes down to a big pitty party.

[jameslynton]

Hey Michael the DeepRoller I like the way you think! If the last two references to codependent were 2004 and 2001 in medpub - it most likely does not exist as something you want as an answer on a test. when the DMS V comes out I doubt you will see there or even the X version. Now about the three pages of books on Amazon about. It is like the Men are from Mars book - total fab and fake.

About AA and 12 step programs. I had to go to meetings and write papers on them during my MS. I got to where I hated to go they are such pity parties. Any program that say you have a flaw is wrong. What they don't do is teach is the skills to deal your issues. They just talk about how X did this to poor little old me and I need a drink, a drug. They do nothing to deal with the issues that put people there. Part of becoming a good therapist is you become a very highly trained observer. I did not take me long to pick out the depressed ones, the bipolars using Et-OH to self medicate and so on.

Thanks for the support. For all the rest of you'll sorry these things bring out my horns. You can live in denial and think there is such a thing as codependent - the choice is yours

[mammypriya]

is that matt serious? :shock: :shock: :shock:

you betcha...made a ton of $$$$ too.he is sooo famous with his silly dancing...love the music though...:D

[GFLIP]

it's amusing and entertaining... I like rwanda - the whole gang just got into it.

[mammypriya]

Maybe ilovetahira is busy loving Tahira :confused:
lolol....that is a pretty long lovin...:shock:
well some ppl...are addicted to the meaningless forums (me) and some to otherthings:) :p

GFLIP....u should check out his other postings on ytube...for a good laugh .i love the guy.

[GFLIP]

nice mammypriya - thanks. :)

[jameslynton]

lolol....that is a pretty long lovin...:shock:
well some ppl...are addicted to the meaningless forums (me) and some to otherthings:) :p

GFLIP....u should check out his other postings on ytube...for a good laugh .i love the guy.Hey thanks - that was a hoot - I can't wait to hear and see it all on my home computer...I second that thanks. Yea I am a VMD addict - just can't find a 12 step program for it...

[DeepRoller]

You just need Jesus.

Michael

[MDiva]

You just need Jesus.

Michael



:lolup::lolup::lolup::D