Denial is one of the most well-known defense mechanisms used by individuals. Often it is used to escape from the truth. Either way, many people find themselves in its grasp through the challenging situations life brings. A person can choose to deny or accept what is in front of them. What do you often choose?
What exactly is denial?
Denial is a defense mechanism in which an individual is confronted with a fact that is too difficult to receive and rejects it instead, asserting that it is not true even though there is what may be obvious evidence. The person may refute the reality of the distasteful fact entirely, admit the fact but refute its validity or confess both the detail but deny its significance or admit both the fact and gravity but reject accountability. The idea of denial is mainly crucial to the research of addiction.
The philosophy of denial was first studied intensly by Anna Freud. She categorized denial as a contrivance of the immature minf, because it battles with the capacity to learn from and deal with reality. Where denial happens in mature minds, it is most often linked with fatality, dying and other factors.
Different types of denial
There is denial of responsibility, fact, impact, awareness, cycle and denial itself. We all demonstrate this in our daily lives consciously and unconsciously.
Denial of responsibility
This type of denial entails evading personal accountability by justifying, blaming or minimizing. Blaming is a candid declaration transferring liability and may override with denial of fact. Lessening is an attempt to make the effects or conclusions of an action seem to be less damaging than they may actually be.
Denial of fact
In this type of denial, a person evades a fact by being deceptive. This lying can take the shape of a blatant lie leaving out specific details to fit a story, or by falsely agreeing to something. Someone who uses denial to get around truth finds comfort in using lies to avoid clear facts they suspect may be hurtful to themselves or others.
Denial of impact
Denial of impact entails a person’s evading thinking about or comprehending the harms his or her conduct has inflicted to self or others. Doing this helps that person to get around emotions of guilt and it can thwart him or her from cultivating empathy for others. Denial of impact lowers or obliterates a sense of discomfort or damage from bad choices.
There is no way to get rid of denial entirely because it is a part of human survival. The manner and motive for which it is used determines the total outcome.
