In brief therapeutic encounters, the healthcare provider must be able to identify, recognize, and understand some maladaptive defense mechanisms commonly used by some patients. As nurses, we must carefully pinpoint these particular mechanisms and work with them to decrease these behaviors and shift to adaptive ones. That is acceptable without distorting the principles of reality.

For us we could know, the defense mechanism used not only for patients but also for us individuals when we are faced with what is minor or in a situation that threatens life. They are specific unconscious intrapsychic adjustment efforts in which individuals use to decrease their level of anxiety, to protect the ego, or commonly known as the reality principle and even to increase our self-esteem.

We have to realize and understand that defense mechanisms have unique characteristics and characteristics. It is an automatic situation when or wherever we are faced, it is not pathological unless it is being overused to a degree or level that is already distorting the orientation of the reality of the patient or an individual and is done consciously would only mean, that a person is aware that he or she is facing some problems or a crisis in his or her life.

To further illustrate this topic, I would like to emphasize some point that the defense mechanism has an important relevance in practiced nursing mainly because it will help in your nursing care plan, evaluation, de facto established behavior or setting limits with clients. It is also critical in building a therapeutic relationship that only means, that by establishing a relationship or trust that is essential throughout the duration of your treatment. In addition, nurses have also used a specific coping mechanism during or when meeting the patient. Some may experience countertransference and repressions which are commonly known as unconscious and involuntary forgetting of painful / unacceptable events and conflicts.

Denial is the most common defense mechanism, and I firmly believed that it is a pandemic, that is, it is used by people of all races, in different countries. For example, I have always come across patients who come to the ER who are heavily intoxicated with alcoholic beverages, but when they ask, “They are still in denial and emphasize that they only had a little.” To elaborate further lets define, denial simply means that it is an unconscious refusal to admit and an unacceptable behavior or idea that could be in a way of thinking, feelings, wants and needs. To illustrate more of this, I have given more examples. A 56-year-old patient admitted to the emergency room who is dependent on alcohol for 20 years claims “I can always control the consumption of alcoholic beverages” where in reality he cannot. A student refuses to admit that he is failing the course despite earning an F on the first exam. Also, denial is the first face of the grieving process. Whenever a family or a person faces a crisis such as the death of loved ones such as spouse, son, daughters and the like.

The defense mechanism is beneficial and useful at some point every time a person is faced with a situation or in a state of crisis. He believed that we all use or use various types of defense mechanisms ranging from the different scenarios that we encounter. Unless it is used correctly and not to the extent that reality is compromised.