{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,29]],"date-time":"2026-09-29T05:44:25Z","timestamp":1790660665164,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":32,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,7,14]],"date-time":"2022-07-14T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1657756800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Psychol."],"abstract":"<jats:p>In this paper, we propose to account for the blame addressed to vaccine skeptics and \u201canti-vax\u201d (VS and AV) by considering their attitude as the result of the psychological mechanism of denial, understood in a psychodynamic manner. To that effect, we draw on a secondary account of our clinical experience in two hospital units (psychiatry and intensive care unit), and on openly available media material. First, we lay out how VS and AV can be understood as the result from fetishist risk denial, a specific psychological transaction with an object by which VS and AV people feel intimately protected; this object is viewed as so powerful that its protection makes the vaccine appear irrelevant. Second, we show how this mechanism can explain the specific content of the blame frequently addressed to VS and AV, who are reproached with being selfish by vaccinated people and caregivers. We contend that, contrary to common belief, they are thus blamed because they force others (and especially caregivers) to compensate their lack of self-protection and preservation, which derives from their exclusive relation to an almighty object. While such a relation accounts for the unwillingness to consider vaccination, it also explains the harshness of the blame voiced by caregivers, who feel helpless in most situations as they cannot effectively force VS and AV to take care of themselves and others.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2022.886368","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,7,14]],"date-time":"2022-07-14T07:51:20Z","timestamp":1657785080000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["The Role of Denial in Vaccine Skeptics and \u201cAnti-vax\u201d Blame: A Psychodynamic Approach"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Olivier","family":"Putois","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Julie","family":"Helms","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,7,14]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1537","DOI":"10.1007\/s11469-020-00270-8","article-title":"The fear of COVID-19 scale: development and initial validation.","volume":"20","author":"Ahorsu","year":"2020","journal-title":"Int. J. Ment. Health Addict."},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/vaccines9060548","article-title":"Factors influencing public attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination: a scoping review informed by the socio-ecological model.","volume":"9","author":"Al-Jayyousi","year":"2021","journal-title":"Vaccines"},{"key":"B3","first-page":"49","article-title":"Le transfert paradoxal de la communication paradoxale \u00e0 la r\u00e9action th\u00e9rapeutique n\u00e9gative.","volume":"12","author":"Anzieu","year":"1975","journal-title":"Nouv. Rev. Psychanal."},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"251","DOI":"10.1002\/bs.3830010402","article-title":"Toward a theory of schizophrenia.","volume":"1","author":"Bateson","year":"1956","journal-title":"Behav. Sci."},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2021.672395","article-title":"Social and cognitive psychology theories in understanding COVID-19 as the pandemic of blame.","volume":"12","author":"Bouguettaya","year":"2022","journal-title":"Front. Psychol."},{"key":"B6","author":"Braunschweig","year":"1975","journal-title":"La Nuit le Jour: Essai Psychanalytique sur le Fonctionnement Mental."},{"key":"B7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.socscimed.2021.114502","article-title":"Labels matter: use and non-use of \u2018anti-vax\u2019 framing in australian media discourse 2008\u20132018.","volume":"291","author":"Court","year":"2021","journal-title":"Soc. Sci. Med."},{"key":"B8","author":"Deray","year":"2021","journal-title":"Les Antivax, R\u00e9v\u00e9lateurs d\u2019une Soci\u00e9t\u00e9 Malade de son \u00c9go\u00efsme (et inculture)."},{"key":"B9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"142","DOI":"10.4103\/jnbs.jnbs_27_20","article-title":"Development of the COVID-19 phobia scale: validity and reliability study.","volume":"7","author":"Dilbaz","year":"2020","journal-title":"J. Neurobehav. Sci."},{"key":"B10","author":"Evans","year":"2021","journal-title":"PiersMorgan Brands Anti-Vaxxers \u2018Selfish Pr*cks\u2019 after Suggesting They Should Be \u2018Thrown in Cave.\u2019 Metro."},{"key":"B11","first-page":"291","article-title":"Pr\u00e9lude \u00e0 la vie fantasmatique.","volume":"35","author":"Fain","year":"1971","journal-title":"Rev. Fr. Psychanal."},{"key":"B12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0250123","article-title":"COVID-19 and vaccine hesitancy: a longitudinal study.","volume":"16","author":"Fridman","year":"2021","journal-title":"PLoS One"},{"key":"B13","first-page":"271","article-title":"Splitting of the ego in the process of defence.","volume":"23","author":"Freud","year":"1940","journal-title":"Stand. Ed. Complete Psychol. Works Sigmund Freud"},{"key":"B14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.4088\/JCP.21ed14213","article-title":"How should psychiatry respond to COVID-19 anti-vax attitudes?","volume":"82","author":"Goldberg","year":"2021","journal-title":"J. Clin. Psychiatry"},{"key":"B15","author":"Green","year":"2022","journal-title":"Anti-Vaxxers Should Face Penalties for Their Selfish Choices."},{"key":"B16","author":"Grimaldi","year":"2022","journal-title":"TRIBUNE. \u2018Les non Vaccin\u00e9s Doivent-ils Assumer Aussi leur Libre Choix de ne pas \u00eatre R\u00e9anim\u00e9s?"},{"key":"B17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"307","DOI":"10.1037\/hea0000586","article-title":"The psychological roots of anti-vaccination attitudes: a 24-nation investigation.","volume":"3","author":"Hornsey","year":"2018","journal-title":"Health Psychol."},{"key":"B18","author":"Kershaw","year":"2021","journal-title":"It Seems a Bit Selfish to Me\u2019: Rafael Nadal Criticises Anti-Vaxxers."},{"key":"B19","author":"Lecouv\u00e9","year":"2022","journal-title":"VRAI OU FAKE. Covid-19: peut-on dire qu\u2019il n\u2019y a pas eu de tri des patients \u00e0 l\u2019h\u00f4pital, comme l\u2019affirme Emmanuel Macron?"},{"key":"B20","author":"Malan","year":"1982","journal-title":"Individual Psychotherapy and the Science of Psychodynamics."},{"key":"B21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"71","DOI":"10.1007\/s11845-021-02640-0","article-title":"Psychological factors affecting COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy.","volume":"191","author":"Nazl\u0131","year":"2022","journal-title":"Ir. J. Med. Sci."},{"key":"B22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.lanepe.2020.100012","article-title":"Attitudes towards vaccines and intention to vaccinate against COVID-19: implications for public health communications.","volume":"1","author":"Paul","year":"2021","journal-title":"Lancet Reg. Health Eur."},{"key":"B23","first-page":"13","article-title":"A theory of ego defenses","author":"Plutchik","year":"1995","journal-title":"Ego Defenses: Theory and Measurement"},{"key":"B24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"311","DOI":"10.1016\/j.amp.2021.03.004","article-title":"Enjeux psychiques et psychopathologiques des croyances conspirationnistes : de la crise sanitaire Du COVID-19 \u00e0 la crise existentielle.","volume":"179","author":"Poupart","year":"2021","journal-title":"Ann. Med. Psychol."},{"key":"B25","first-page":"655","article-title":"Entre humour et folie.","volume":"4","author":"Racamier","year":"1973","journal-title":"Rev. Fr. Psychanal."},{"key":"B26","author":"Sagalovitsch","year":"2021","journal-title":"Longtemps, on se Souviendra de L\u2019\u00e9go\u00efsme des Non-Vaccin\u00e9s."},{"key":"B27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/vaccines9020160","article-title":"COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy worldwide: a concise systematic review of vaccine acceptance rates.","volume":"9","author":"Sallam","year":"2021","journal-title":"Vaccines"},{"key":"B28","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"288","DOI":"10.1016\/j.vaccine.2021.11.068","article-title":"Predicting Vaccine uptake during COVID-19 crisis: a motivational approach.","volume":"40","author":"Schmitz","year":"2022","journal-title":"Vaccine"},{"key":"B29","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2609","DOI":"10.2147\/RMHP.S311074","article-title":"The willingness to receive COVID-19 vaccine and its associated factors: \u2018vaccination refusal could prolong the war of this pandemic\u2019 \u2013 a systematic review.","volume":"14","author":"Wake","year":"2021","journal-title":"Risk Manag. Healthcare Policy"},{"key":"B30","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"493","DOI":"10.1057\/sth.2016.5","article-title":"Public anxiety & health policy: a psychodynamic perspective.","volume":"1","author":"Walsh","year":"2016","journal-title":"Soc. Theory Health"},{"key":"B31","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.socscimed.2020.113414","article-title":"The French public\u2019s attitudes to a future COVID-19 vaccine: the politicization of a public health issue.","volume":"265","author":"Ward","year":"2020","journal-title":"Soc. Sci. Med."},{"key":"B32","year":"2017","journal-title":"How to Respond to Vocal Vaccine Deniers in Public: Best Practice Guidance"}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Psychology"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpsyg.2022.886368\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2022,7,14]],"date-time":"2022-07-14T07:51:34Z","timestamp":1657785094000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpsyg.2022.886368\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2022,7,14]]},"references-count":32,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fpsyg.2022.886368"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fpsyg.2022.886368","relation":{},"ISSN":["1664-1078"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1664-1078","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2022,7,14]]},"article-number":"886368"}}