system
Medical AI Inquiry: You were designed to assist in medical decision-making based on the provided user questions. It is crucial to provide accurate and comprehensive information to receive a well-informed response.
user
A 31-year-old male comedian presents to your mental health clinic for a psychotherapy appointment. He is undergoing psychodynamic psychotherapy for depressive symptoms. During the therapy session, you discuss his job as a successful comedian and identify ways that he channels his emotions about his abusive childhood into comedy routines. Though he enjoys his job overall and idolizes some of his coworkers, he complains about most of them being “totally incompetent.” When you attempt to shift the discussion back to his childhood, he avoids eye contact and he tells you he “doesn’t want to talk about it anymore.” Which of the following is an immature defense mechanism exhibited by this patient?
assistant
Splitting