denial

Having passed the very first stage of block/immobility, those involved often take on an attitude that reflects an emotional rejection of what is going on.

Typical phrases are: "it’s not true", "it cannot be", "it's just a rumour".

LET'S SEE AN EXAMPLE

During a phone call, Queen Elizabeth states that she doesn’t want to talk publicly about what happened, because it’s private affairs. The Queen does nothing, she neither reacts, nor declares anything and she isn’t willing to celebrate the funeral publicly. She doesn’t even admit her daughter-in-law's values because of her hate toward Lady D. She continues to behave as a cynical person, as if no one were dead (EMOTIONAL REJECTION). 

The Queen, S. Frears, United Kingdom, 2006, Pathé Productions, Granada, in association with BIM Distribution (00:21:05 – 00:23:52).

The Queen, S. Frears, United Kingdom, 2006, Pathé Productions, Granada, in association with BIM Distribution (00:38:28 – 00:39:59).