How do your know if you are in denial?

Question

And can bad things come from denial, even if you don't know you are in that state?

Answer 1

i am NOT in denial!

actually, i think a bit of denial can help. i have a disease with no cure, and denial can help me avoid obsessing about it.

Answer 2

You know that you are in denial if, you justify all the things you are doing and not wanting to get or consider the opinion of others.

Answer 3

If you are honest with yourself with respect to what you personally value and your personal goals, you will be better able to recognize times when you are in denial.

Likewise, if you are repeatedly dishonest with yourself, you will have a harder time recognizing when you're in denial, as your repeated dishonesty becomes habituated, making it hard for you to discern honest emotions and dishonest emotions.

Bad things can indeed come from the practice of denial, but not always do bad things come from the practice of denial. For example, if you are in denial that you are fat and assume instead you are skinny, when you insist on wearing a certain pair of jeans to a party you may find that you can't fit into them anymore, even ripping them. That might be a bad thing. A worse thing would be to be in denial about your ignorance about the subject matter on a test and then walk into a test-taking situation. Your false confidence may lead to your getting an F; however, had you studied, you might have done much better on the test. As for an example of denial that might lead to good things, being in denial about your ability to run a marathon after an amputation may lead to your actually finding a way to run a marathon and doing it! However, generally speaking, denial is more likely problematic for living than beneficial.

I wouldn't worry too much about the confusing questions of "How do I know I'm in denial? Might I be in denial about my being in denial?" I like to assume that we are pretty good at figuring it out if we give ourselves time. However, if you only give yourself a few minutes to figure out whether you've in denial, you become less skilled at guessing unless you are practiced at being honest with yourself. Figuring out whether you might be in denial might be aided by the help of a therapist, of friends, and of family. They may be able to get outside of you, show you aspects of yourself that you might not be conscious of, and thus evidence that your statements about yourself do not match the actions you commit. If your statements mismatch your actions, you might be said to be in denial.

I hope you find this response helpful. :)

Answer 4

They say that "Ignorance is Bliss". Does that mean the stupid are at an advantage or disadvantage?

Your question is of the same type of nature. If something you realize you do, but disclaim that what you do actually causes harm, are you lying to yourself?

Yes, anything harmful hurts others and yourself. By not admitting the action, you continue the falsehood and the damage continues.

The actions are a result of intention. You intend to continue doing something despite its damage. So, yes...not knowing does not matter.

Lets say a girl does not know that she needs to use protection when she has sex, does not knowing keep her from getting a baby, or a disease?

No...it only hurts. Her and the baby.

Answer 5

Ask yourself if your in denial, if you say no, your in denial.

Answer 6

If you deny that you are in denial you are in denial....Isn't psycho babble fun?

Answer 7

denial isn't that in Egypt ha ha

Answer 8

You need a very down to earth friend who will be honest with you. What you don't know can hurt you.