NEW YORK – The political left, center and right do share something in common in today’s polarized America: we’re all in denial.
The first step in 12-step programs begins with admitting that you have a problem for a reason: you can’t tackle a challenge whose existence you refuse to acknowledge. “From a psychoanalytical viewpoint, denial is a pathological, ineffective defense mechanism,” doctors M.S. Vos and J.C. de Haes observed in their 2006 study of cancer patients. A stunning 47 percent of the patients they polled denied that they had cancer! Denial reduced their chances of seeking treatment and then following through.
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