A patient reports putting household issues aside when at work. Which defense mechanism would you identify that the patient is describing?

Suppression is a conscious, deliberate defense mechanism in which a person intentionally sets aside distressing thoughts, feelings, or problems to focus on the task at hand. The patient is describing choosing to push household worries aside while at work — a purposeful, conscious effort to not think about those issues during a specific time period. This fits the definition of suppression perfectly. Rationalization involves constructing logical-sounding justifications for behaviors or feelings that are actually driven by other motives, which is not what the patient is doing. Identification is a defense mechanism in which a person unconsciously models their behavior after someone else, often a figure they admire or fear. Sublimation involves redirecting unacceptable impulses into socially acceptable activities, such as channeling aggression into competitive sports. None of these fit the scenario. The key distinction to remember is that suppression is conscious and voluntary, which separates it from repression, which is an unconscious process. Students often confuse suppression with repression — repression is the unconscious pushing of distressing thoughts out of awareness, while suppression is the deliberate, mindful choice to put those thoughts aside temporarily. The scenario explicitly describes an intentional act of setting issues aside, pointing clearly to suppression.