It is far from a novel observation to note that most people live in varying degrees of denial. We rarely encounter the person who is rigorously honest about his own virtues and defects, who acknowledges the full truth concerning those individuals most important to him, and who actively questions the validity of his deepest convictions. In part, this is due to social convention; it often is an understandable (if not desirable or healthy) part of a survival strategy. If we recognize that denial represents valuing delusion more than reality, the seriousness of the danger carried by denial depends on the … Continue reading When Destruction Is the Cost of Denial