Denial is usually the first step in the grieving process.

Denial is usually the first step in the grieving process.

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Not sure
• D. Occasionally

Answer: (A)

Denial often acts as the initial coping response to sudden or overwhelming loss, giving a person time to absorb the reality before other emotions surface. In many grief theories, including the familiar five-stage model, the sequence starts with denial, followed by anger, bargaining, depression, and eventually acceptance. While not everyone experiences every stage or in the same order, the idea that denial comes first reflects how people commonly shield themselves from the immediate impact of the loss. So the statement is true. If someone doesn’t follow this pattern, it may be due to individual differences in grieving or different coping mechanisms, but denial being the initial response is still a widely observed pattern.

Denial often acts as the initial coping response to sudden or overwhelming loss, giving a person time to absorb the reality before other emotions surface. In many grief theories, including the familiar five-stage model, the sequence starts with denial, followed by anger, bargaining, depression, and eventually acceptance. While not everyone experiences every stage or in the same order, the idea that denial comes first reflects how people commonly shield themselves from the immediate impact of the loss. So the statement is true. If someone doesn’t follow this pattern, it may be due to individual differences in grieving or different coping mechanisms, but denial being the initial response is still a widely observed pattern.