The well known events of 2018, which some argue was a change of power and others as revolution, started with rejection.  Initially, it was Serzh Sargsyan who was being rejected, subsequently, the Parliament, later the judges, and now the members of the Constitional Court.  Some of the radicals who are looking at the concept of rejection more globally - the Constitutional Court, the National Security Service, the Police, the Prosecutor's Office ... are rejecting a number of laws, the Constitution and so continuously.

Rejection became not only a symbol of the revolution but also its substance.  On the other hand, the opposition, for its part, has begun to reject the rejecters, no matter what they reject and for what reason.  The important thing is to deny one another.  Rejection is transforming from a political category into a psychological phenomenon.

Hence, it is importantat to understand what in general is the psychology of denial, its reasons and its goals.

Rejection in relevant science is defined as a means of psychological protection when it is required to discard something undesirable, to erase it from life, from memory or ignore it. It is regarded as a simple protective measure. “Reject” should be distinguished from “discard.” To discard means to realize it, to analyze it, and to just push it out, changing the reality. Yet, rejection is rather a mechanical process, which has no profound effect on the conscious and does not change the situation. Again, this is the approach of science to psychology on this phenomenon.

Let’s return to our reality. The public was tired of living in illusions. There was no trust in political institutions, the electoral system, the judiciary or in the law enforcement agencies. The social “lift” had ceased to operate, and this situation was best described by Sarah Sargsyan, when he called it a “lukewarm atmosphere.”

The public rejected the apathetic atmosphere, but rejection is not a change of reality. The apathy had to be analyzed in public and its causes understood.  The phenomenon had to be assessed politically and legally and a policy and an action plan had to be developed to change it. That is to say, “rejection” should have turned into “discarding.”

Currently, Armenia is divided into two camps, the rejectors of the old system and the rejectors of the new.  That does not take us anywhere or more precisely, it takes us nowhere.  The euphoris of the revoluvtion is turning into a feast of hatery because the public does not see political solutions which for the sake of brighter purpose will unite the two camps.

Illustration by Medialab.am