Ms. Giovanni’s test results suggest that she is dying of ovarian cancer. She tells her family that the lab must have mixed up he
r results with someone else’s. According to Kubler-Ross, Ms. Giovanni is MOST likely to be in the ________ stage of coping with the suggestion that she is dying.
Denial is one of the stages that lead to grief as it allows us to let in only what we can handle. Denial comes with shock and numbness of mind. It gives peace albeit short. Denial helps to reduce the overwhelming pain of loss. It is more of a defense mechanism to numb the pain. Examples include the belief that break up or divorce will be canceled after the other party is calm, the belief that one will be called back to work where he/she has been sacked permanently, the belief that a loved one who just died will return to life soonest, etc.
