When anger is not adequately acknowledged, it can lead to which outcome?

• A. Displacement
• B. Regression
• C. Phobia
• D. Complicated mourning

Answer: (D)

When anger is not acknowledged, it blocks the healthy processing of the loss. Anger is a normal part of mourning, signaling that the reality of the death needs to be faced. If that anger is suppressed or ignored, it can linger and prevent acceptance, leading to a prolonged, convoluted grieving process. This lingering distress is what clinicians call complicated mourning—where grief remains intense and disruptive well beyond what’s typical, making it hard to move forward with life.

Displacement would involve redirecting that anger to someone or something else, which is a coping mechanism rather than the outcome of not acknowledging anger in mourning. Regression would show as childlike behaviors, not the persistent grief pattern described here. Phobia is an anxiety disorder unrelated to the direct consequence of unacknowledged anger in the mourning process.