A nurse is caring for a hospitalized client who is quarrelsome and opinionated and has little regard for others. According to Sullivans interpersonal theory, the nurse should associate the clients behaviors with a previous deficit in which stage of development?
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A
Infancy
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B
Childhood
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C
Early adolescence
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D
Late adolescence
The interpretation supported by the scenario is Childhood.
A. Infancy
This would apply in a different scenario where the idea in “Infancy” addresses a different mechanism or priority than the one emphasized by the stem The wording does not track the stem’s main cue, so selecting it would shift the nurse away from the most precise interpretation or priority.
B. Childhood
This works since The nurse should associate the clients behavior with a deficit in the childhood stage of Sullivans interpersonal theory. The childhood stage in Sullivans interpersonal theory typically occurs from the ages of 18 months to 6 years of age, during which the child learns to experience a delay in personal gratification without undue anxiety. Need: Psychosocial Integrity Developmental theories help the nurse connect present coping and relationship patterns to age-expected tasks, which can inform realistic goals, communication style, and supportive interventions. From a nursing standpoint, this selection guides assessment and interventions toward what is most clinically meaningful in the moment—risk reduction, safety, accurate appraisal, and support for adaptive coping.
C. Early adolescence
This would apply in a different scenario where the idea in “Early adolescence” addresses a different mechanism or priority than the one emphasized by the stem The wording does not track the stem’s main cue, so selecting it would shift the nurse away from the most precise interpretation or priority.
D. Late adolescence
This sounds reasonable when the idea in “Late adolescence” addresses a different mechanism or priority than the one emphasized by the stem The wording does not track the stem’s main cue, so selecting it would shift the nurse away from the most precise interpretation or priority.
Conclusion
The scenario is best handled by identifying what the nurse must interpret or prioritize first and then choosing the statement that fits that requirement with the least distortion. The distractors have surface appeal, but they do not align as tightly with the clinical cue embedded in the stem.