Denial, Negation, and the Forces of the Negative

Ver Eecke acknowledges Hegel's claim that the road to truth is not a path of doubt, but a highway of despair, and argues, via Hegel's ontology of the person, that denial can be understood as a desiring being's defense against despair. By examining the role of no-saying in children, Freud's claims about freedom of the will and its necessary prerequisites, and Sophocles' Oedipus, Ver Eecke demonstrates the idea that denial is connected with situations in which the self-image of a person is threatened. He concludes with a colleague's autobiography to highlight the deep, tragic experiences that denial covers, and the enormous psychic work required to overcome profound denial, with the ultimate reward of experiencing oneself as the fulfillment of the promise of life.