The psychiatric-mental health nurse is receiving a report on a patient who is being transferred to the hospital from a local emergency department (ED) after expressing suicidal ideations. The ED nurse tells the psychiatric-mental health nurse that the

Question

patient is "crazy, just like my aunt!" Which quality that commonly occurs in the pre-interaction stage of the nurse-patient relationship does the ED nurse's statement demonstrate?
1. Transference
2. Ethnocentrism
3. Cultural relativism
4. Countertransference

Answer 1

Answer: 4
Explanation: Countertransference occurs when the nurse's previous experiences trigger reactions that have nothing to do with the current patient. In this case, the emergency department nurse labels the patient with depression as "crazy," and identifies the patient with her own family member. Transference is similar to countertransference; however, this occurs in patients, not nurses. Ethnocentrism occurs when an individual judges another individual's values, culture, and beliefs based solely on the judging individual's own culture. Cultural relativism is the concept that beliefs, customs, and ethics of an individual must be considered within that individual's own culture, to evaluate whether the individual deviates from his or her own culture.