A client experienced physical abuse by his father when he was a child. The client explains some of the intense financial and interpersonal stress that his father was experiencing at the time and describes the relationship between psychosocial stress and abuse. How should the nurse best interpret the client's statement?

The client is intellectualizing this traumatic event in order to deal with the emotions involved.

Explanation:

Detached rationalization and discussion of a trauma suggests the client is using the defense mechanism of Intellectualization.

In psychology and reasoning, rationalization is a denial tool in which questionable actions or reactions are justified and described in an obviously rational or reasonable way to bypass the real explanation, and are made consciously sustainable.

Rationalization is the process by which we can obtain maximum results with the patient by putting very less amount of effort.