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Denial: How We Hide, Ignore, and Explain Away Problems
Donald Trump won the election; climate change isn’t real; America is a color-blind country. Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, why do so many of us refuse to admit the truth? In fact, as Jared Del Rosso argues in this thought-provoking book, denial is so much a part of our lives that we deny its existence all the time, even when this works against our best interest, even when we are being choked by its very fumes.
Denial is one of those rare books that will change the way you think. In a highly readable style that draws on examples from current events, politics, and pop culture, Del Rosso teases out the complexities of denial, from “not noticing” that someone has food stuck in their teeth, to companies that engage in widespread fraud, like Enron and Wells Fargo, to the much larger-scale denials of climate change or systemic racism. Drawing on classic studies in the social sciences and his own research of the denial of torture, Del Rosso builds a fascinating typology of the forms and meanings of denial, exploring the behavior of those who refuse to acknowledge their actions, and what it means to live in a society where such lying, fraud, and corruption is commonplace.
In wide-ranging examples, Del Rosso explores the causes, strategies, and consequences of denial. When scandal hits and accusations of misconduct are made, he argues that individuals like Harvey Weinstein or Brett Kavanaugh, or organizations like the Catholic Church or Penn State, go through a series of moves to try to avoid accountability. Del Rosso focuses on the individuals involved but also asks: how could so many people not know what their priests, or their coaches, or their coworkers were doing? Del Rosso effectively argues that recognizing what denial looks like is the crucial first step in mitigating its effects on us, and society as a whole.
Denial is one of those rare books that will change the way you think. In a highly readable style that draws on examples from current events, politics, and pop culture, Del Rosso teases out the complexities of denial, from “not noticing” that someone has food stuck in their teeth, to companies that engage in widespread fraud, like Enron and Wells Fargo, to the much larger-scale denials of climate change or systemic racism. Drawing on classic studies in the social sciences and his own research of the denial of torture, Del Rosso builds a fascinating typology of the forms and meanings of denial, exploring the behavior of those who refuse to acknowledge their actions, and what it means to live in a society where such lying, fraud, and corruption is commonplace.
In wide-ranging examples, Del Rosso explores the causes, strategies, and consequences of denial. When scandal hits and accusations of misconduct are made, he argues that individuals like Harvey Weinstein or Brett Kavanaugh, or organizations like the Catholic Church or Penn State, go through a series of moves to try to avoid accountability. Del Rosso focuses on the individuals involved but also asks: how could so many people not know what their priests, or their coaches, or their coworkers were doing? Del Rosso effectively argues that recognizing what denial looks like is the crucial first step in mitigating its effects on us, and society as a whole.
- GenresNonfictionSociology
301 pages, Hardcover
Published July 12, 2022
8 people are currently reading
98 people want to read
About the author
Jared Del Rosso
2 booksJared Del Rosso is a sociologist, educator, and writer. He is currently writing about the place of the Whip-poor-will, an iconic nocturnal bird, in US culture. Visit www.lonesomewhippoorwill.com for more.
He is also the author two previous books of cultural sociology: Denial: How We Hide, Ignore, and Explain Away Problems and Talking About Torture: How Discourse Shapes the Debate.
He is also the author two previous books of cultural sociology: Denial: How We Hide, Ignore, and Explain Away Problems and Talking About Torture: How Discourse Shapes the Debate.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
June 12, 2022
A book called Denial has the potential to explain a lot of things, particularly about modern society, cancel culture, fake news and newspeak. Unfortunately, Jared Del Rosso’s book doesn’t so much explain as list. It is a disappointment.
There is a small corner of sociology where denial has carved out a space for itself. It is populated by a small cadre of academics who contribute to the cause, and quote each other. Del Rosso teaches denial at a university. He has a whole semester-long curriculum, including annual stunts like wearing his sweater inside out, or having bits of food on his face when he addresses the class. He is looking for reaction, and he gets it, but is it denial? Is politeness, the desire to have things move smoothly uninterrupted or disrupting the flow with pointless embarrassment “denial”? He thinks so.
The book is filled with examples, as Del Rosso scales up from the trivial to the significant. But it takes a good hundred pages before the reader will cave and think, okay, that’s really denial. But even then, the mere listing of examples signifies nothing. And it turns out that listing is all it really is.
This being his profession, Del Rosso has found several ways of looking at ordinary situations as if they were denials. But the more I read, the more I thought – only to him.
The stories he cites are often engrossing. Most of them were headliners in their time. The Kitty Genovese murder for example. This woman was murdered, and screamed for help all through it. The newspapers claimed there were 38 eyewitnesses in her Queens neighborhood that night, and no one helped or even called it in. It led to decades of research into the moral collapse of western urban civilization. The heartless urban dwellers, the inhumanity of cities, and so on.
But it wasn’t true. Numerous people called it in, so many that others couldn’t get through. One man screamed for the aggressor to stop. A neighbor in the common hallway cradled her until help finally came – far too late.
It’s a significant and remarkable story. But denial? Readers will be hardpressed to find it. The only real truth to come from it all is the new genus called urban bystander. When there are a lot of people around, some feel no need to help. They believe the situation is being addressed adequately by others. Is that denial?
There are stories of police killing Blacks, and of psychology grads running experiments on undergrads. But denial does not jump off the page at the reader. He even explores schoolyard excuses like He started it. But self-justification is not denial as I know it. Rapists say she was asking for it. George Zimmerman was acting in self-defense when he murdered Trayvon Martin. So did the police when they murdered Laquan MacDonald – and then lied about it until a judge forced them to release the dashcam footage. These are examples Del Rosso has collected of denial.
He can even slice denials into smaller buckets, like the aforementioned self-justification, or redirection, or any number of other aspects and flavors. But again, these amount to nothing more than lists, as Del Rosso seems unable to actually do anything with his categories.
He thinks that denial can be packaged neatly. He defines it this way: “Denial, then, takes two forms: attention-management strategies and rhetorical strategies. The former enables us to silence or hide troubling truths and inconvenient facts, keeping them from pressing into social life. The latter, meanwhile, help us to minimize those troubling truths and inconvenient facts when they intrude.” This he says, is the essence of his book. It is not enough. And it is wrong.
Yes (and obviously), it can be a way to strategically deflect accusations. That perpetrators are acting with malice aforethought, and they know it. That it is planned, even scripted. Denial is part of their scheme to be on the wrong side of decency. That certainly can be.
It also certainly can be that there is no strategy at all. That deniers actually believe what they are claiming. That this attitude or position has come to them honestly through generations of bigots, xenophobes, racists, con artists and horse thieves. That they consider their behaviors and attitudes standard and even righteous. So they are not scheming; they are sincere. But Del Rosso needs them to fit his little boxes, so these possibilities are sloughed off or avoided altogether. Ironically, he is unconsciously denying their possibility.
Where it is clearly true is in corporate malfeasance, the constant gaslighting of customers by Big Tobacco or Pharma or Chemicals or Ag: “Organizations also control knowledge by controlling the information that outsiders can access. When all else fails, they can produce junk science, partial truths and outright lies masquerading as facts, as tobacco, opioid and petroleum companies have done to obscure the dangers of their products. The strategies of attention management then, are not simply interactional; they also take uniquely organizational forms.” They deny as if their corporate life depended on it.
I think we all know that.
He extends it, quite naturally, to government, denying it employed torture in Iraq or Guantanamo. Claiming Ukraine bombed its own people to make Russia look bad. These are out and out lies. Is lying the flipside of denial? Is it necessary and sufficient for denial? Del Rosso does not say.
Late in the book, he hits on racial discrimination. It is the most satisfying chapter, and whites are clearly in denial. They make all kinds of excuses. They claim to be colorblind, or to not be responsible for what went on 300 years ago. All true, but so what? Del Rosso does not leverage any of it into a problem-solution scenario. There is no prescription for being caught up in it, getting out of it, or calling it out for what it really is. Del Rosso is an observer, nothing more.
So what can you do with all this newfound knowledge about denial? As far as he will go is this: “Naming denial, we foreground it. Foregrounding it, we denaturalize it, by which I mean we reveal its strategic use by people to explain away their transgressions. The denier no longer appears spontaneous and authentic in their efforts at defending themselves and protecting allies. Rather, their use of denial appears scripted, rehearsed, intentional and self-serving, as the use of denial usually is; the denier is acting and speaking in ways that most anyone in their position, accused of similar offenses, acts and speaks.”
This is just not enough for a booklong exposition of denial.
David Wineberg
There is a small corner of sociology where denial has carved out a space for itself. It is populated by a small cadre of academics who contribute to the cause, and quote each other. Del Rosso teaches denial at a university. He has a whole semester-long curriculum, including annual stunts like wearing his sweater inside out, or having bits of food on his face when he addresses the class. He is looking for reaction, and he gets it, but is it denial? Is politeness, the desire to have things move smoothly uninterrupted or disrupting the flow with pointless embarrassment “denial”? He thinks so.
The book is filled with examples, as Del Rosso scales up from the trivial to the significant. But it takes a good hundred pages before the reader will cave and think, okay, that’s really denial. But even then, the mere listing of examples signifies nothing. And it turns out that listing is all it really is.
This being his profession, Del Rosso has found several ways of looking at ordinary situations as if they were denials. But the more I read, the more I thought – only to him.
The stories he cites are often engrossing. Most of them were headliners in their time. The Kitty Genovese murder for example. This woman was murdered, and screamed for help all through it. The newspapers claimed there were 38 eyewitnesses in her Queens neighborhood that night, and no one helped or even called it in. It led to decades of research into the moral collapse of western urban civilization. The heartless urban dwellers, the inhumanity of cities, and so on.
But it wasn’t true. Numerous people called it in, so many that others couldn’t get through. One man screamed for the aggressor to stop. A neighbor in the common hallway cradled her until help finally came – far too late.
It’s a significant and remarkable story. But denial? Readers will be hardpressed to find it. The only real truth to come from it all is the new genus called urban bystander. When there are a lot of people around, some feel no need to help. They believe the situation is being addressed adequately by others. Is that denial?
There are stories of police killing Blacks, and of psychology grads running experiments on undergrads. But denial does not jump off the page at the reader. He even explores schoolyard excuses like He started it. But self-justification is not denial as I know it. Rapists say she was asking for it. George Zimmerman was acting in self-defense when he murdered Trayvon Martin. So did the police when they murdered Laquan MacDonald – and then lied about it until a judge forced them to release the dashcam footage. These are examples Del Rosso has collected of denial.
He can even slice denials into smaller buckets, like the aforementioned self-justification, or redirection, or any number of other aspects and flavors. But again, these amount to nothing more than lists, as Del Rosso seems unable to actually do anything with his categories.
He thinks that denial can be packaged neatly. He defines it this way: “Denial, then, takes two forms: attention-management strategies and rhetorical strategies. The former enables us to silence or hide troubling truths and inconvenient facts, keeping them from pressing into social life. The latter, meanwhile, help us to minimize those troubling truths and inconvenient facts when they intrude.” This he says, is the essence of his book. It is not enough. And it is wrong.
Yes (and obviously), it can be a way to strategically deflect accusations. That perpetrators are acting with malice aforethought, and they know it. That it is planned, even scripted. Denial is part of their scheme to be on the wrong side of decency. That certainly can be.
It also certainly can be that there is no strategy at all. That deniers actually believe what they are claiming. That this attitude or position has come to them honestly through generations of bigots, xenophobes, racists, con artists and horse thieves. That they consider their behaviors and attitudes standard and even righteous. So they are not scheming; they are sincere. But Del Rosso needs them to fit his little boxes, so these possibilities are sloughed off or avoided altogether. Ironically, he is unconsciously denying their possibility.
Where it is clearly true is in corporate malfeasance, the constant gaslighting of customers by Big Tobacco or Pharma or Chemicals or Ag: “Organizations also control knowledge by controlling the information that outsiders can access. When all else fails, they can produce junk science, partial truths and outright lies masquerading as facts, as tobacco, opioid and petroleum companies have done to obscure the dangers of their products. The strategies of attention management then, are not simply interactional; they also take uniquely organizational forms.” They deny as if their corporate life depended on it.
I think we all know that.
He extends it, quite naturally, to government, denying it employed torture in Iraq or Guantanamo. Claiming Ukraine bombed its own people to make Russia look bad. These are out and out lies. Is lying the flipside of denial? Is it necessary and sufficient for denial? Del Rosso does not say.
Late in the book, he hits on racial discrimination. It is the most satisfying chapter, and whites are clearly in denial. They make all kinds of excuses. They claim to be colorblind, or to not be responsible for what went on 300 years ago. All true, but so what? Del Rosso does not leverage any of it into a problem-solution scenario. There is no prescription for being caught up in it, getting out of it, or calling it out for what it really is. Del Rosso is an observer, nothing more.
So what can you do with all this newfound knowledge about denial? As far as he will go is this: “Naming denial, we foreground it. Foregrounding it, we denaturalize it, by which I mean we reveal its strategic use by people to explain away their transgressions. The denier no longer appears spontaneous and authentic in their efforts at defending themselves and protecting allies. Rather, their use of denial appears scripted, rehearsed, intentional and self-serving, as the use of denial usually is; the denier is acting and speaking in ways that most anyone in their position, accused of similar offenses, acts and speaks.”
This is just not enough for a booklong exposition of denial.
David Wineberg
January 3, 2023
الأشكال الأساسية للإنكار هي تلك التي نستخدمها أنا وأنت ، كل يوم ، لإدارة الإحراج في لقاءاتنا مع الآخرين. هنا يظهر الإنكار في أبهى صوره. إنه يهدف إلى اضطرابات طفيفة ، مثل "الطعام في الأسنان" للمتحدث. إنه يختلط بالفكاهة والضحك الذي نستخدمه للتخفيف من أثر أخطائنا. وهو يخدمنا جيدًا ، حيث يحمي علاقاتنا مع إلحاق ضرر ضئيل نسبيًا بالحياة الاجتماعية.
تأمل ، على سبيل المثال ، هذا المشهد. في كل عام ، على مدى السنوات العديدة الماضية ، أخطئ عمدًا في أدائي في اليوم الأول في دورة علم اجتماع الإنكار. ذات مرة ، قمت بربط قميصي بشكل غير صحيح ، تم سحب الجانب الأيمن لأعلى . في العام التالي ، ارتديت سترة مقلوبة ، والدرزات تظهر والعلامة أيضًا. في العام التالي ، قدمت نفسي للطلاب وأنا أضع مسحة من الكاتشب على وجهي. في الآونة الأخيرة ، بصفتي معلمًا عن بُعد ، قمت بضبط زاوية كاميرا الويب الخاصة بي بشكل سيء ، لذلك كان الجزء العلوي من رأسي فقط مرئيًا للطلاب عندما ألقيت محاضرة اليوم الأول.
هذه الأنواع من تمارين "انتهاك المعايير" هي نموذجية لدورات علم الاجتماع وعلم الجريمة. وهي تسمح لعلماء الاجتماع وطلابهم بمراقبة ووصف وتحليل كيفية استجابة الآخرين للأحداث غير المتوقعة والمحرجة. لكن ما نجده عادة ليس دراماتيكيًا. عند مواجهة السلوك غير المتوقع لشخص آخر ، سيحاول معظم الناس تجاهل الأمر ، كما لو أنهم لم يلاحظوا ذلك.
على الأقل هذا ما أجده عامًا بعد عام. بينما أتجول في المحاضرة ، يحاول الطلاب التظاهر بأنهم لم يلاحظوا أخطائي. أولئك الذين يجلسون في الصف الأمامي من فصول الدراسة الخاصة بي ، يعملون بجد بشكل خاص لأنهم يظلون ، بلا رحمة ، تحت نظري. يحافظون على اتصال بصري منضبط بشكل غير مألوف ، فمن الأفضل منع أعينهم من الظهور لملاحظة وجود خطأ ما. إذا تجرأت على التقدم نحوهم ، فإنهم ينظرون إلى الأسفل. وإلا فإنهم يجربون العكس: التحديق مباشرة في شرائح PowerPoint المعروضة في مقدمة الغرفة. أولئك الموجودون في الجزء الخلفي من الغرفة يخنقون ابتسامة متكلفة.
.
Jared Del Rosso
Denial
Translated By #Maher_Razouk
تأمل ، على سبيل المثال ، هذا المشهد. في كل عام ، على مدى السنوات العديدة الماضية ، أخطئ عمدًا في أدائي في اليوم الأول في دورة علم اجتماع الإنكار. ذات مرة ، قمت بربط قميصي بشكل غير صحيح ، تم سحب الجانب الأيمن لأعلى . في العام التالي ، ارتديت سترة مقلوبة ، والدرزات تظهر والعلامة أيضًا. في العام التالي ، قدمت نفسي للطلاب وأنا أضع مسحة من الكاتشب على وجهي. في الآونة الأخيرة ، بصفتي معلمًا عن بُعد ، قمت بضبط زاوية كاميرا الويب الخاصة بي بشكل سيء ، لذلك كان الجزء العلوي من رأسي فقط مرئيًا للطلاب عندما ألقيت محاضرة اليوم الأول.
هذه الأنواع من تمارين "انتهاك المعايير" هي نموذجية لدورات علم الاجتماع وعلم الجريمة. وهي تسمح لعلماء الاجتماع وطلابهم بمراقبة ووصف وتحليل كيفية استجابة الآخرين للأحداث غير المتوقعة والمحرجة. لكن ما نجده عادة ليس دراماتيكيًا. عند مواجهة السلوك غير المتوقع لشخص آخر ، سيحاول معظم الناس تجاهل الأمر ، كما لو أنهم لم يلاحظوا ذلك.
على الأقل هذا ما أجده عامًا بعد عام. بينما أتجول في المحاضرة ، يحاول الطلاب التظاهر بأنهم لم يلاحظوا أخطائي. أولئك الذين يجلسون في الصف الأمامي من فصول الدراسة الخاصة بي ، يعملون بجد بشكل خاص لأنهم يظلون ، بلا رحمة ، تحت نظري. يحافظون على اتصال بصري منضبط بشكل غير مألوف ، فمن الأفضل منع أعينهم من الظهور لملاحظة وجود خطأ ما. إذا تجرأت على التقدم نحوهم ، فإنهم ينظرون إلى الأسفل. وإلا فإنهم يجربون العكس: التحديق مباشرة في شرائح PowerPoint المعروضة في مقدمة الغرفة. أولئك الموجودون في الجزء الخلفي من الغرفة يخنقون ابتسامة متكلفة.
.
Jared Del Rosso
Denial
Translated By #Maher_Razouk
April 19, 2022
This was a fantastic book and a fresh perspective on denial. I love reading books about self-deception, but some get repetitive. Jared Del Rosso took a variety of different angles when it comes to denial. Aside from topics about how we deceive ourselves, he also discusses what happens when public figures are caught and deny things due to a scandal. He then dives into issues such as racism and the various ways people deny racist views or privilege and what’s going on. This is a super interesting book, and I recommend it to anyone interested in the topic.
December 4, 2022
More of an analysis on denial on a macro sociopolitical scale rather than the more interpersonal perspective I thought it was going to give, however, I was enthralled anyways.
January 21, 2022
I read Denial just after reading Useful Delusions: The Power and Paradox of the Self-Deceiving by Shankar Vedantam and the two books were quite interesting in tandem - almost like reading two sides of the same coin. The role and pervasiveness of denial throughout society as presented in this book is really quite fascinating, if not a little depressing. This book really highlights the pernicious nature of denial, particularly when one is unaware of one's own ability to deny reality or one's own level of denial. I would definitely recommend this book.
May 4, 2022
A super interesting take on the topic of denial. This book offers a unique and fresh perspective about denial as a society. The book highlights how as individuals and society we are unaware of how present this concept is. It was an easy read for someone who is not a specialist. I have not read previous work by this author but will definitely look out for further works. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to learn about this topic further.
Thank you to NetGallery and NYU press for the advance copy of this book.
Thank you to NetGallery and NYU press for the advance copy of this book.
January 12, 2023
Del Rosso, a professor at University of Denver, breaks down the complexities of denial. From Harvey Weinstein, to Enron, to having something stuck in your teeth, society has created ways to ignore the facts and allow individuals and corporations to refuse to acknowledge their actions. The author works through, chapter by chapter, micro and macro practices of denial, from Interpersonal Problems to Denying Racism. This could be considered a handbook on what denial looks like, and how individuals and society can take steps in mitigating its effects.
April 17, 2022
Thought provoking.
Intuitive.
Rare.
Marvellous.
From looking at someone with a zipper open to Harvey Weinstein. Catholic Churches to a basic denial of a crime. This book covers it all in a superb way. It looks at why we deny, how we deny. It shows us things we do as humans that make denial seem acceptable. The language of denial.
The author has researched incredibly well for this book. It’s written well and should be compulsory reading! It’s a human race reality check!
.
Intuitive.
Rare.
Marvellous.
From looking at someone with a zipper open to Harvey Weinstein. Catholic Churches to a basic denial of a crime. This book covers it all in a superb way. It looks at why we deny, how we deny. It shows us things we do as humans that make denial seem acceptable. The language of denial.
The author has researched incredibly well for this book. It’s written well and should be compulsory reading! It’s a human race reality check!
.
May 25, 2022
I don’t normally read non fiction books but the description of this one really intrigued me, and I’m glad I read it. This book gave a very interesting and unique perspective on the denials of our society and how unaware we are of how present it is around us. Topics in this book included racism and how people deny their racist thoughts and privilege, public figures caught in a scandal and also how we all deceive ourselves. I would definitely recommend reading this.
July 12, 2022
Denial seemed like a coffee table version of an intro to sociology textbook specific to the subject. It was a refresher with just enough depth to interest me, but not overly technical to make it a difficult read. More recent events were covered, but it fell short on application and where things go from here. The pdf version was not reader friendly.
Thanks to NetGalley and NYU for an ARC.
Thanks to NetGalley and NYU for an ARC.
July 27, 2022
I really enjoyed Dr. Del Rosso’s class, sociology of denial, when I was at DU and this book was a great reminder and expansion on what I learned in the class. I highly recommend the book!
October 17, 2024
A smart and accessible book. It would make a great undergrad textbook; it's also useful for people who are puzzled why so many people are resistant to the idea of systemic racism, or that torture is common and ineffective, and various other instances of community denial.
Read
August 7, 2025How it works in social context. Denial is structured into two types = attention management strategies (how not to notice, how to be a bystander, how to avoid blame, how to conceal misconduct, how to avoid scandal, how to hide in plain sight (racism focus)) and rhetorical strategies.
October 2, 2022
I was excited to read this and see the world in at least a slightly new light. But I just see it in the same light.
The author seems smart, very familiar with his research area and how things fit together. But the picture he painted in this book was underwhelming, it was a lot of things you already know of an intuitive level, and little reframing or new ways of thinking about things. At times it was tedious to get through passages that essentially said nothing new, but took a long, winding path to do so.
I'm also wary of books that talk so much about very few modern issues - Trump and Abu Gharib, in this case - to make a case about a broad human social phenomenon. Tell me about how a tribe in ancient Australia used the same tactics as a community in modern rural Canada as the people in the Roman empire.
I'd love to have been able to walk away from this book more clearly seeing denial where it affects my life, and more consciously choosing constructive responses to it. This book is well researched for sure, but didn't meet that goal for me.
The author seems smart, very familiar with his research area and how things fit together. But the picture he painted in this book was underwhelming, it was a lot of things you already know of an intuitive level, and little reframing or new ways of thinking about things. At times it was tedious to get through passages that essentially said nothing new, but took a long, winding path to do so.
I'm also wary of books that talk so much about very few modern issues - Trump and Abu Gharib, in this case - to make a case about a broad human social phenomenon. Tell me about how a tribe in ancient Australia used the same tactics as a community in modern rural Canada as the people in the Roman empire.
I'd love to have been able to walk away from this book more clearly seeing denial where it affects my life, and more consciously choosing constructive responses to it. This book is well researched for sure, but didn't meet that goal for me.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews