( CNN ) -- Esteemed psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross spent much of her career working with terminally ill patients and the anxiety many of them expressed in the face of their impending death . Her experience and interactions with hundreds of them formed the basis for `` On Death and Dying , '' a groundbreaking 1969 book . In it , she outlined the five stages she believed those nearing death endured—denial , anger , bargaining , depression , and , lastly , acceptance—and suggested strategies for helping them and their families cope . Her work was monumental within the field in part because the emotional needs of those dealing with death had for so long been avoided . It would not be for much longer . Which is perhaps what makes New Jersey Gov . Chris Christie 's hijacking of Kübler-Ross ' grief cycle for his own gains so egregious . As he faced the press in an unending press conference held Thursday after a scandal that jammed traffic on the George Washington Bridge for four days blew up on his administration , Christie issued a series of halfhearted mea culpas . He asked not for the public 's forgiveness but for pity . `` You can only imagine as I was standing there in my bedroom looking at my iPad how sad and betrayed I felt , '' he said . `` I 'm heartbroken about it and I 'm incredibly disappointed . I do n't think I 've gotten to the anger stage yet , but I 'm sure I 'll get there . '' In his telling , he , too , after all , was a victim , just like the thousands of commuters—including schoolchildren -- who endured hours trapped in their cars somewhere between New York and New Jersey . Just like 91-year-old Florence Genova , who died after paramedics who were stuck in traffic reached her . ( Christie , while expressing regret , could not help but note , `` I 've also heard conflicting reports about the cause of death . '' ) In fact , at his new conference , he characterized himself as `` heartbroken , '' `` sad , '' `` humiliated , '' `` betrayed ; '' referring again and again to the stages of grief he was struggling through . Oh , and did he mention he was `` very sad ? '' `` On Death and Dying '' had a profound impact on psychology and society . It led to a greater emphasis on counseling and hospice care for dying patients and their families , and inspired Kübler-Ross to devote the remainder of her years in clinical practice to the dying , including AIDS patients and children in particular . In subsequent years , of course , Kubler-Ross ' grief cycle has been applied to countless other traumatic situations , including losing a job , going bankrupt and ending a relationship , all of which can carry fair amounts of grief and require coping . But this may be the first time her work has been used as a political strategy . The situation that forced Christie to an accounting before the cameras was traumatic , but not for him . Despite his claims , he was n't actually a victim . Nor was he convincingly contrite about either the cause or the effect of the actions that occurred at the behest of the staffers in his administration and on his watch , as he piled most of the blame on his deputy chief of staff , Bridget Anne Kelly ( he described her as `` stupid '' ) . Nowhere among Kübler-Ross ' stages , it should be noted , is `` seek sympathy , '' `` blame others , '' or `` do whatever it takes to clear your name . '' In fact , if the governor is looking for some more situation-appropriate stages to pass through , he might consider turning to his Catholic upbringing for a guide . Among the church 's steps to a good confession : Be truly sorry . Examine your conscience . Express sorrow for the sin . Resolve not to commit it again . Lastly , ask for forgiveness . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Peggy Drexler .
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross first named 5 grief stages to help with death , says Peggy Drexler . She says Christie 's casting himself as victim , invoking grief stages over scandal , is a first . Drexler : He spoke of own humiliation , sadness . And he said that the media was not helping him by focusing on his personal life and how it affected his work. Drexler : `` Seek sympathy , '' `` blame others '' are not stages , but `` ask forgiveness '' works .