Elisabeth Kubler-Ross developed a model of personal change after spending time analysing the emotional responses to grief by terminally ill patients. This model, commonly called the "Kubler-Ross Grief Cycle", identifies the human emotional response to change over time in a cycle that includes denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.
| EMOTIONAL RESPONSE | RESPONSE |
| Denial | * Suggest problem has corrected itself and it will soon be over |
| * Exhibit apathy and numbness | |
| * Rationalise change away | |
| Anger | * Sabotage the change effort |
| * Play "shoot the messenger" | |
| * Withdraw from society | |
| Bargaining | * Cut a deal to spare others harm |
| * Suggest other concerns to redirect problem solving | |
| Depression | * Express a loss of control |
| * Withdraw from society | |
| Acceptance | * Express ownership for solutions |
| * Focus on achieving benefits |
This emotional cycle is not exclusive to the terminally ill, it also affects people and communities impacted by bad news. The important factor is not that the change is good or bad, but that the person or community perceives it as a significantly negative event.
United States Army Enterprise Integration Oversight Office: Enterprise Solutions Competency Center; ChangingMinds.com; Mary Opie, 2001 "Managing Change". For more information, please visit the Elisabeth Kubler-Ross website.