Question

What statement best describes a person using intellectualization as a defense mechanism?

Lin decides that she could have done more to prevent her illness and blames herself.
Tyler studies his illness carefully, but remains emotionally detached from it.
Bella has been diagnosed with a serious illness, but is choosing to pretend like nothing is wrong.
Casey is angry about being diagnosed with a chronic illness, but she takes her anger out on her family members.

Answer 1

A person using intellectualization as a defense mechanism emphasizes rational thinking and remains emotionally detached from a stressful situation, like Tyler who studies his illness carefully while staying emotionally detached.

Step-by-step explanation:

Intellectualization as a defense mechanism is best described by a scenario in which an individual engages in a process of separating themselves emotionally from a stressful situation by focusing on intellectual components, rationalizations, or facts related to the situation. Drawing on the given options, the statement that best describes a person using intellectualization would be: Tyler studies his illness carefully, but remains emotionally detached from it. Tyler's approach to understanding his illness through study, while maintaining emotional detachment, exemplifies the process of intellectualization, where emotions are set aside in favor of logic and information.

Intellectualization as a defense mechanism allows individuals to avoid confronting their emotional responses by immersing themselves in details and data. This strategy can sometimes hinder the emotional processing that is necessary for coping with distressful scenarios effectively.