Patricia's Husband of 50 Years Recently Asked Her for a Divorce

Patricia's husband of 50 years recently asked her for a divorce, saying that he had fallen in love with her best friend and they will be cohabiting. Ashamed and angry, Patricia has become a virtual hermit, sitting at home, ignoring the telephone, and spending much of her time crying about all the mistakes that she made in her life. Erikson would characterize Patricia's emotional state as

A) despair.
B) despondency.
C) depression.
D) denial