Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Denial In Alcohol And Other Drug Use Disorders: A Critique Of Theory., Patricia A. Stoddard Dare, Leaanne Derigne

Social Work Faculty Publications

Despite the centrality of the construct in the field of alcohol and other drug (AOD) addiction, denial remains poorly conceptualized. One reason for this narrow conceptualization is the recent unilateral devotion to the Transtheoretical Model (TTM). In an effort to demonstrate denial’s theoretical complexity, the TTM and five additional intuitively appealing theories of denial will be summarized.The strengths and weaknesses of each theory and possible treatment implications based on each theory will also be presented. The article concludes with a recommendation for future research to evaluate multiple theories of denial using consistent and rigorous research methodology in order to develop …