Denial in Alcoholism: A Sociological Interpretation

Abstract

This paper examines the assumptions, conditions and consequences of employing the concept of denial in the identification and treatment of alcoholism. The discussion involves 1) describing the prevailing conception of alcoholic denial as a psychological construct; 2) analyzing the nature of the human puzzle to which the concept of denial is a socially constructed solution; 3) articulating the ubiquity of denial in everyday life; and 4) describing the implications of utilizing the concept of denial for personal and social control.