{"id":94073,"date":"2018-07-12T11:00:36","date_gmt":"2018-07-12T10:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/?p=94073"},"modified":"2023-03-14T04:53:19","modified_gmt":"2023-03-14T04:53:19","slug":"denial-in-psychology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/denial-in-psychology.htm","title":{"rendered":"Denial in Psychology- Are You Using This Defence Mechanism?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"denial<\/a>

By: Alastair Gilfillan<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

by Andrea M. Darcy<\/span><\/p>\n

Denial in psychology originates from\u00a0 <\/span>psychoanalytic theory<\/a> and its ideas about ‘defence mechanisms<\/a>‘. <\/span><\/p>\n

What are defence mechanisms?<\/h2>\n

Defence mechanisms are unconscious forms of self-deception we use to avoid anxiety<\/a> and emotional pain<\/a>, or to ensure we are \u2018acceptable\u2019 to others. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Denial is a very popular defence mechanism. It is when we act as if an event, a thought, or an emotion never happened. We do this even if there is obvious evidence that it did, and often protest the opposite. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

An example is when<\/strong> we cry all the time<\/a> but then tell everyone we aren\u2019t sad<\/a>. Or when we are sick every morning from drinking<\/a> the night before but say we are not an alcoholic<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

Denial is connected to other defence mechanisms. <\/strong>These include repression<\/a> (banning stressful things from our memories) and projection<\/a> (refusing responsibility for thoughts, feelings and actions by attributing then to someone else).<\/span><\/p>\n

[Is your habit of denial making your life a mess? Really wish someone could help? Visit our sister site harleytherapy.com<\/a> <\/span>to book phone and online therapy easily and quickly, worldwide.]<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

So if someone I know won\u2019t see the truth, they are in denial? <\/span><\/h2>\n

It would be easy here to say denial is about denying \u2018the truth\u2019. But \u2018truth\u2019 is actually <\/strong>a perspective<\/a>.<\/strong> If two people, for example, at the same meal, one might say it was amazing, the other that it was terrible. <\/span><\/p>\n

So denial is more about avoiding facts and outcomes.<\/strong> It would be denying that the meal was caloric and might lead to weight gain, or claiming, even against strict doctors orders against its ingredients, that ‘it can’t hurt’.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But aren\u2019t we all in denial? <\/span><\/h2>\n
\"denial<\/a>

By: Duncan Hull \ud83d\udc1d<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

As a Western society we practise mass denial.<\/strong> We live our lives as if all is fine when we are taking actions that damage the environment and when other countries are at war. This article, however, focuses on personal denial over societal denial. <\/span><\/p>\n

The different forms of denial in psychology<\/span><\/h2>\n

In its purest form of \u2018simple denial\u2019 , the process of denial is unconscious<\/a>. The person using denial really has convinced themselves of the opposite to what the facts say and what everyone else tells them. They have ‘turned a blind eye’, as the saying goes. <\/span><\/p>\n

An example of simple denial would be the partner of an alcoholic<\/a> who truly believes her partner \u2018just likes a good time.\u2019\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sometimes denial is more conscious, with the difficult situation admitted to, but downplayed. This is called \u2018minimising\u2019.<\/strong> An example would be the same person saying, \u2018he does drink too much, but he\u2019s never mean or horrible when he\u2019s drunk so what\u2019s the problem\u2019. <\/span><\/p>\n

The third form of denial is called transference denial.\u00a0<\/strong> This is when the fact is admitted to, but the person will deny their responsibility. \u201cYes, he might be an alcoholic, but it’s not up to me to say anything.”<\/span><\/p>\n

The symptoms of being in denial<\/span><\/h2>\n