This article is Part 3 of our four-part series, “Treat or Be Treated: Four Common Reactions to Practice Failure in Healthcare.” In this installment, we explore the Deflection Reflex—how anger, humor, and avoidance can mask deeper issues after practice failure. The final part will cover Overcompensation and the Burnout Trap.
Lashing Out to Cope With Practice Failure
When the pain of a business failure is too overwhelming to confront, many practice owners turn to deflection. Instead of internalizing shame, they swing to the other end of the spectrum: externalizing blame. This can manifest as anger, sarcasm, or humor that trivializes the seriousness of the setback.
For instance, upon learning of the embezzlement, our example couple found themselves cracking jokes about being broke in front of their staff. While humor can sometimes be a healthy coping mechanism, it can also serve as a wall that prevents serious introspection. Alternatively, they had episodes of intense anger—sometimes misdirected at their children, sometimes at each other, and often at the employee who had betrayed them.
Common Deflection Tactics in Healthcare Practices
- Sarcastic Humor: Making light of a bad situation to avoid fully feeling its weight.
- Uncontrolled Anger: Blowing up at colleagues or loved ones over minor mistakes.
- Social Withdrawal: Avoiding professional meetings or conferences to escape probing questions about what went wrong.
- Projecting Blame: Blaming the hiring agency, the front desk staff, the software provider—anyone but oneself.
The Neuroscience of Anger, Humor, and Avoidance in Healthcare
Anger can sometimes be more socially acceptable or personally comfortable than sadness or shame (Lerner & Keltner, 2001). It provides a sense of control: You feel you’re doing something (“I’m mad and I’m going to fix this!”) rather than being stuck in a pit of despair. However, prolonged anger or avoidance can block cognitive reappraisal, a process where you reframe a stressful event to cope more effectively (Gross, 2015).
Moreover, avoiding the deeper emotions of disappointment and self-doubt can lead to chronic stress, which negatively affects physical health. Elevated stress hormones like cortisol can impair immune function, disrupt sleep, and contribute to cardiovascular issues (McEwen, 1998). For healthcare professionals who need to be at their peak to provide patient care, this kind of stress can degrade clinical performance, potentially putting patients at risk.
The Downside of Blame After Practice Failure
Blame is often a knee-jerk reaction that comes hand-in-hand with deflection. While it may be true that external factors played a role in your practice’s failure (e.g., a dishonest employee, an unreliable vendor), fixating on blame prevents constructive action.
- Wasted Energy: Energy spent on anger and resentment is energy not spent on rebuilding or seeking solutions.
- Reputational Damage: Publicly blaming others—especially if it becomes a pattern—can alienate future employees, partners, or investors.
- Inability to Grow: Without accepting any responsibility, you risk repeating the same mistakes.
Reclaiming Accountability in Healthcare Practice Management
Moving beyond deflection doesn’t mean taking on all the blame if others genuinely share responsibility. It does mean acknowledging your role, however minor, and focusing on positive action. This can include:
- Implementing Auditing and Checks: If embezzlement occurred, instituting regular financial audits or dual-approval systems.
- Improving Hiring Protocols: Screening employees more thoroughly, conducting background checks, and standardizing the onboarding process.
- Clearer Communication Channels: Ensuring concerns and red flags can be raised internally without fear of retribution.
For our couple, acknowledging that their own lack of financial oversight allowed the embezzlement to flourish was a crucial first step. Deflection might have felt good in the short term—blaming the employee entirely—but it wouldn’t solve the systemic vulnerabilities in their practice.
Beyond Deflection: Moving Toward Growth and Resilience
Deflection can be a phase—something that helps you momentarily cope with the shock of a major loss. The goal is to ensure it doesn’t become a chronic way of handling problems. When you’re ready to move forward, you may find yourself overcorrecting, throwing all your energy into the practice to “fix” it. This path leads to the next common reaction: overcompensation.
This is Part 3 of our series.. Continue reading:
