denial /de·ni·al/ (dĭ-ni´il) in psychiatry, a defense mechanism in which the existence of unpleasant internal or external realities is kept out of conscious awareness.
denial
denial [dĕ-ni´al]
denial
de·ni·al (d -n   l)n. An unconscious defense mechanism characterized by refusal to acknowledge painful realities, thoughts, or feelings. |
denial
[dinī′əl]
Etymology: L, denegare, to negate
1 refusal or restriction of something requested, claimed, or needed, often causing physical or emotional deficiency.
2 an unconscious defense mechanism in which emotional conflict and anxiety are avoided by refusal to acknowledge those thoughts, feelings, desires, impulses, or facts that are consciously intolerable.
denial [dĕ-ni´al]
in psychiatry, a defense mechanism in which the existence of unpleasant internal or external realities is denied and kept out of conscious awareness. By keeping the stressors out of consciousness, they are prevented from causing anxiety.
ineffective denial a nursing diagnosis accepted by the North American Nursing Diagnosis Association, defined as denial that is detrimental to health when a person makes a conscious or unconscious attempt to disavow the meaning or even the knowledge of an event in order to reduce anxiety or fear.
denial
Psychiatry A primitive–ego defense–mechanism by which a person unconsciously negates the existence of a disease or other stress-producing reality in his environment, by disavowing thoughts, feelings, wishes, needs, or
external reality factors that are consciously intolerable. See In denial.
Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content.
| ?Page tools | ||
|---|---|---|
|