Denial, incolloquial English usage, has at least three meanings:
In psychology,denialism is a person's choice to deny reality as a way to avoid a psychologically uncomfortable truth.
Inpsychoanalytic theory,denial is adefense mechanism in which a person is faced with a fact that is too uncomfortable to accept and rejects it instead, insisting that it is not true despite what may be overwhelming evidence. The concept of denial is important intwelve-step programs, where the abandonment or reversal of denial thatsubstance dependence is problematic forms the basis of the first, fourth, fifth, eighth, and tenth steps.[citation needed]
People who are exhibiting symptoms of a serious medical condition sometimes deny or ignore those symptoms because the idea of having a serious health problem is uncomfortable or disturbing. TheAmerican Heart Association cites denial as a principal reason that treatment of aheart attack is delayed.[2] Because the symptoms are so varied, and often have other potential explanations, the opportunity exists for the patient to deny the reality of the emergency, often with fatal consequences. It is common for patients to delay recommendedmammograms or other tests because of a fear ofcancer, although this usually worsens thelong-term medical outcome.[3]
Initial short-term denial can be a good thing, giving time to adjust to a painful or stressful issue. It might also be a precursor to making some sort of change in one's life. But denial can also be harmful; if denial persists and prevents a person from taking appropriate action, it's a harmful response.[4]
Some people who have been known to be in denial of historical or scientific facts accepted by the mainstream of society or by experts, for political or economic reasons, have been referred to asdenialists[5] ortrue believers. Examples of denialism in this context include:
In theNew Testament, the JewishSadducee sect is noted for its denial of beliefs held by other sections of theJewish community: they did not believe in theresurrection of the dead or the existence ofangels andspirits.[6]
