Posted on 04/27/2012 6:57:39 AM PDT by EternalVigilance
April 27, 2012
I deal on a regular daily basis with self-identified conservatives all across America who are addicted to the Republican Party. And when it comes to the impending nomination by their party of the most liberal governor in U.S. history, Mitt Romney, their reactions are overwhelmingly in line with the classic symptoms described below. We can't make them face reality, of course. All we can do is to keep pointing it out to them, in the sincere hope that they will recover in time to help save the country.
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From Wikipedia :
Denial (also called abnegation) is a defense mechanism postulated by Sigmund Freud, 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 subject may use:
The concept of denial is particularly important to the study of addiction. The theory of denial was first researched seriously by Anna Freud. She classified denial as a mechanism of the immature mind, because it conflicts with the ability to learn from and cope with reality. Where denial occurs in mature minds, it is most often associated with death, dying and rape.
In this form of denial, someone avoids a fact by lying. This lying can take the form of an outright falsehood (commission), leaving out certain details to tailor a story (omission), or by falsely agreeing to something (assent, also referred to as "yessing" behavior). Someone who is in denial of fact is typically using lies to avoid facts they think may be painful to themselves or others.
This form of denial involves avoiding personal responsibility by:
Someone using denial of responsibility is usually attempting to avoid potential harm or pain by shifting attention away from themselves.
For example: Troy breaks up with his girlfriend because he is unable to control his anger, and then blames her for everything that ever happened.
Denial of impact involves a person's avoiding thinking about or understanding the harms of his or her behavior has caused to self or others, i.e. denial of the consequences. Doing this enables that person to avoid feeling a sense of guilt and it can prevent him or her from developing remorse or empathy for others. Denial of impact reduces or eliminates a sense of pain or harm from poor decisions.
This type of denial is best discussed by looking at the concept of state dependent learning. People using this type of denial will avoid pain and harm by stating they were in a different state of awareness (such as alcohol or drug intoxication or on occasion mental health related). This type of denial often overlaps with denial of responsibility.
Many who use this type of denial will say things such as, "it just happened". Denial of cycle is where a person avoids looking at their decisions leading up to an event or does not consider their pattern of decision making and how harmful behavior is repeated. The pain and harm being avoided by this type of denial is more of the effort needed to change the focus from a singular event to looking at preceding events. It can also serve as a way to blame or justify behavior (see above).
This can be a difficult concept for many people to identify with in themselves, but is a major barrier to changing hurtful behaviors. Denial of denial involves thoughts, actions and behaviors which bolster confidence that nothing needs to be changed in one's personal behavior. This form of denial typically overlaps with all of the other forms of denial, but involves more self-delusion. Denial at this level can have significant consequences both personally and at a societal level.
Harassment covers a wide range of offensive behaviour. It is commonly understood as behaviour intended to disturb or upset. In the legal sense, it is behaviour which is found threatening or disturbing.
DARVO is an acronym to describe a common strategy of abusers: Deny the abuse, then Attack the victim for attempting to make them accountable for their offense, thereby Reversing Victim and Offender.
Psychologist Jennifer Freyd writes:
...I have observed that actual abusers threaten, bully and make a nightmare for anyone who holds them accountable or asks them to change their abusive behavior. This attack, intended to chill and terrify, typically includes threats of law suits, overt and covert attacks on the whistle-blower's credibility, and so on. The attack will often take the form of focusing on ridiculing the person who attempts to hold the offender accountable. [...] [T]he offender rapidly creates the impression that the abuser is the wronged one, while the victim or concerned observer is the offender. Figure and ground are completely reversed. [...] The offender is on the offense and the person attempting to hold the offender accountable is put on the defense.
As a nurse, I know all these. I’m just wondering what, as a conservative, I’m in denial about over Romney. The writer conveniently didn’t state that.
I don’t know your individual situation vis a vis support for the most liberal governor in U.S. history, so I can’t answer your question. Sorry.
I deny that Romney is the only person that can stop Obama. Sarah Palin working with secret forces in the Newt camp will force a brokered convention!
minimisation: admit the fact but deny its seriousness (a combination of denial and rationalization)
I admit Obama will win if I go third party but it won't be so bad.
projection: admit both the fact and seriousness but deny responsibility.
Yes, Obama will win if many conservatives throw away their votes, but its not my fault that Obama will win.
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Was that what you were looking for? ;)
It’s true. I have friends and family who don’t want to hear me talk about Romney’s record. I think the less they know, the more comfortable they will be pulling the lever for him.
Please note the winky... Things have been a little too heated round here lately.
What a load! The Mittster is not even the most liberal Massachusetts Governor of the last decade.
Bad guess.
And I'm Tom Hoefling, by the way.
It’s not the Republican Conservatives that I’m worried about, it is the GOP-e who are pushing yet another RINO. The fact that there is still continuing opposition to the anointing of Romney as the candidate belies the headline.
This is a confusing and poorly written article. I don’t know who this guy is but it appears that he is running for president of something.
If we are going to elect a third party president then we need to gel around a single electable party candidate that has national experience. Virgil Goods fits that bill.
Can't vote for him, but refuse to continue the attacks on him (no matter how well deserved) because it no longer serves a positive purpose. He'll either replace Obama or he won't. Either way, we still have our work cut out for us and need to redirect towards House/Senate/Local Gov't seats to try to give us some edge for the future.
Well said.
Are you really?
Name one other U.S. governor in history other than Mitt Romney who did all the following:
Banned guns.
Signed socialized medicine, complete with $50 co-pay taxpayer-funded abortions, into law.
Completely homosexualized state government and the public schools.
Unilaterally instituted "gay" "marriage," in breach of the clear provisions of his own state's constitution.
Romney pretty much has the nomination locked up and I am definitely not going to vote for him. Instead I am going to write in Sarah Palin’s name.
Yes.
Just to be safe, let's get as many Tea Partiers as possible elected to Congress and the several statehouses. Whaddaya say?
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