A 36-year-old man is described as intellectualising his anxiety about a cancer diagnosis by reading extensively about tumour biology and quoting survival statistics during consultations, without showing any emotional distress. This defence mechanism is:

• A Rationalisation
• B Isolation of affect
• C Undoing
• D Intellectualisation ✓

Explanation

Intellectualisation is the use of abstract thinking, technical language, and cognitive analysis to avoid experiencing the emotional impact of a stressful situation. The patient focuses on statistics and biology rather than engaging with fear or grief. Rationalisation involves fabricating a logical justification for an unacceptable behaviour after the fact. Isolation of affect is the separation of an idea from its associated feeling, without necessarily engaging in intellectual activity. Undoing involves symbolic actions meant to negate an unacceptable thought or deed.

Reference: Kaplan & Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry, 11th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.