Denial - Part 1

A recent article in the NY Times about denial got me thinking about how much of a source of problems this can be for people. We all know intelligent educated people who should know better, yet continue to lead an unhealthy lifestyle. One of the most common problem seems to be poor diet habits. A friend who teaches culinary arts recently taught me about how culture and habits are the overwhelming factors determining our overall diet, and people tend to be in complete denial about the health impacts of what they chose to eat.

Lack of exercise is another big problem. So is getting a regular medical checkup. People intellectually may know that they’re mortal, but in practice they seem to live in denial of this most basic fact of nature. There is also a strong tendency to live in denial about the most basic financial law - you cannot continue to spend more money than you make forever. Sooner or later the bills come due. People seem to be in denial of this both on a personal level, and on a national level. The lack of outrage over the federal debt being run up can only be described as a population living in complete denial of what is happening.

Denial is a psychological device that lets people avoid making changes, or facing anything unpleasant. Living a more effective life requires that we recognize denial when it start happening and takes steps to overcome it and address the problems that we are trying to avoid. How to recognize it and overcome it are topics for future postings.

So should our goal be to live a life completely free of denial? That may seem worthwhile, but the NY Times article referred to above actually suggest that denial has its positive aspects in some select cases. This has to do with the ability to overlook problems and minor transgressions in small group settings. In particular, denial can be very useful when overlooking small problems with your spouse in order to maintain a healthy relationship. So the real challenge is how to recognize unhealthy denial and overcome it.