How psychology offers a way to overcome the widespread denial of the benefits of electric vehicles
By: Enrique Dans
Tags: Climate Change, Electric Vehicles, Automotive, Psychology, Electric Car

Types of Denial

In his 2001 book States of Denial, US sociologist Stanley Cohen explored the reasons why “there’s none so blind as those that won’t see”, establishing three forms of denial we use when faced with uncomfortable truths, and that can help us understand the resistance of many people to the electric vehicle:

Literal denial : We deny the evidence, in this case that electric vehicles are cleaner. The first three arguments above are examples of this kind of flat out denial: the energy used by electric vehicles comes from fossil fuels and therefore simply transfers pollution; manufacturing is polluting, and battery components create pollution.

: We deny the evidence, in this case that electric vehicles are cleaner. The first three arguments above are examples of this kind of flat out denial: the energy used by electric vehicles comes from fossil fuels and therefore simply transfers pollution; manufacturing is polluting, and battery components create pollution. Interpretive denial : We accept the facts, but refuse to acknowledge how they are being interpreted, or play down their importance. Sure, electric vehicles are cleaner, but this won’t solve the problem of pollution because they are not practical. Here, language and meaning are manipulated to lessen the importance and legitimacy of electrical energy as a valid substitute for the conventional car. The lack of recharging infrastructure needed for so many electric vehicles is put forward. The fourth and fifth arguments above are perfect examples of interpretative denial.

: We accept the facts, but refuse to acknowledge how they are being interpreted, or play down their importance. Sure, electric vehicles are cleaner, but this won’t solve the problem of pollution because they are not practical. Here, language and meaning are manipulated to lessen the importance and legitimacy of electrical energy as a valid substitute for the conventional car. The lack of recharging infrastructure needed for so many electric vehicles is put forward. The fourth and fifth arguments above are perfect examples of interpretative denial. Implicit denial: The facts and their interpretation are accepted, but we deny the personal, political and social implications of the facts. For example, we accept that the electric car is more energy efficient and cleaner, but refuse to change a way of living we have grown comfortable with. This passive — “yes, but — resistance is the most common and we support it by arguments such as the limited autonomy of electric vehicles, that recharging takes too long, or that we don’t have a garage.

Denial as a defense mechanism

Denial is a human tendency that may have its roots in evolution. Denial can be a coping strategy, as well as a defense mechanism.

Confrontation strategy . When used as a first step to gain time to adapt to a new situation or challenge, denial can be considered a coping strategy. From an evolutionary point of view, this short period of denial gives us space and time to prepare ourselves emotionally and learn new skills and behaviors.

. When used as a first step to gain time to adapt to a new situation or challenge, denial can be considered a coping strategy. From an evolutionary point of view, this short period of denial gives us space and time to prepare ourselves emotionally and learn new skills and behaviors. Defense mechanism. Permanent denial doesn’t help us and simply becomes a defense mechanism that interferes with learning and leads to adaptive failure. For example, what happens when we simply stick our unopened bills in the drawer? The long-term consequences can be disastrous. The same is true when we ignore new, clean technologies.

In general, the denial of technology cannot be considered a strategy of confrontation, and is instead a defense mechanism, often unconscious, to protect our wellbeing or our self-esteem.

The personality of denial

As Cohen argues, denial is a form of self-deception we use to protect ourselves from danger, both real and imagined. We delude ourselves to maintain the illusion of control over a changing environment, we delude ourselves to boost our self-esteem and sense of our abilities, and we delude ourselves to maintain a sense of continuity over time about our identity. We forget that cars is just a mode of transportation and instead see them as a sign of identity and social status.

Are some of us more prone to denial? Optimism is an antidote to denial. Personality studies show that optimistic people have a mindset of change and self-control that makes them more open to innovation and adopting new technologies. The optimists tell themselves they can learn, and so put in the effort to achieve it. In contrast, pessimistic people are more prone to denial. Pessimists suffer from “learned helplessness” or lack of control over reality because they think they can’t do anything about it, so denial serves as a defense mechanism.

Strategies for overcoming denial

To overcome denial we have to understand the reasons why we deny facts, their importance and their implications.

Rational strategies . This knowledge strategy is based on the assumption of rationality: we would not publicly deny the evolution of technology if we had enough information. However, we will not overcome resistance to electric vehicles solely by dint of scientific evidence and data. The real reason for denial is not always literal, but also interpretative and implicit. This means that to overcome the denial phase, we need to use emotional and social strategies.

. This knowledge strategy is based on the assumption of rationality: we would not publicly deny the evolution of technology if we had enough information. However, we will not overcome resistance to electric vehicles solely by dint of scientific evidence and data. The real reason for denial is not always literal, but also interpretative and implicit. This means that to overcome the denial phase, we need to use emotional and social strategies. Emotional Strategies . Denial is not only a rational process, but also an emotional one. One way to convince people against denial is through altruism. To overcome the fear and anxiety that change often produces, we must present an alternative that highlights the positive emotions derived from helping others. One strategy is to appeal to the common good and to our identity as part of a community. This is what Cohen calls “inclusiveness” — feeling like a citizen of the world with a responsibility for improving everyone’s future.

. Denial is not only a rational process, but also an emotional one. One way to convince people against denial is through altruism. To overcome the fear and anxiety that change often produces, we must present an alternative that highlights the positive emotions derived from helping others. One strategy is to appeal to the common good and to our identity as part of a community. This is what Cohen calls “inclusiveness” — feeling like a citizen of the world with a responsibility for improving everyone’s future. Social Strategies. Denial is more than an individual psychological process, it is also a social reality. The triple process of denial can be magnified at the social level through negative messages, biased interpretations, or uncomfortable implications for the individual and society. All this leads to a kind of “social resistance” — a state of collective skepticism where denial is contagious. For example, if I think that electric vehicles are for an elite minority and not for people like me, I am falling into an implicit denial that is a barrier to adoption. To break this cycle of denial, people who take the first step publicly must have credibility and be perceived as “one of us.” The proponents of technological change in the energy sector must be highly visible social models we can all identify with.

People and society suffer processes of denial in the face of challenging situations such as technological innovation. We create our “perceptual universe” and see reality through those lenses.

The psychology of denial helps us not only to understand the reasons that lead so many of us to resist technological change, but also to devise strategies to convince us of its advantages.