Denial Blocking out painful or anxiety-inducing events or feelings. On the way home the employee shops for a new car. Withdrawal Withdrawal is usually used when a person is afraid of rejection or afraid to fail. By with drawing the person is attempting to avoid psychological pain. The problem is ,it inevitably leads to strong feelings of loneliness, and it does nothing for the original fears.
Withdrawal takes several forms.
Silence and running away are the most common, but the use of drugs and excessive sleeping also occur. Closely related to withdrawal are avoidance and deflection. Many alcoholics use avoidance extensively, i.e., they won't talk about the problems at home and they stay away from others to avoid feelings of embarrassment, shame, etc. Deflection is a method of changing a subject that is or might be painful. Humor and anger are the two commonest methods of deflecting people away from difficult subjects.