Repression vs. Suppression
Repression is often confused with suppression, another jot down of defense mechanism.
Where repression involves unconsciously blocking unwanted thoughts or impulses,suppressionis entirely voluntary.
Specifically, suppression is deliberately trying to forget or not think about painful or unwanted thoughts.
Verywell / Daniel Fishel
Freud conceived of the human mind as being much like an iceberg.
The top of the iceberg that you could see above the water represents the conscious mind.
The bulk of the iceberg that lies unseen beneath the waterline represents the unconscious.
Freud believed that the unconscious mind has a powerful impact on personality and could potentially lead to psychological distress.
This led to his development of the concept of repression.
Repression was the first defense mechanism Freud identified and he believed it to be the most important.
Signs of Repression
Freud suggested that physical symptoms could be associated with repression.
Subsequent research has linked an array of signs and symptoms with repressed emotions.
There may also be some behavioral signs that someone is repressing memories, thoughts, or emotions.
They might have difficulty talking about their thoughts or feelings, even becoming defensive when asked about them.
How Repression Is Used
Repression is one way the mind can deal with difficult thoughts or emotions.
And in some cases, that is helpful.
One review of research concluded that distorting reality through repression most often helps improve psychological and social functioning.
Retrieval-induced forgettingoccurs when recalling certain memories causes other related information to be forgotten.
So repeatedly calling forth some memories might lead other memories to become less accessible.
Traumatic or unwanted memories, for example, might be forgotten by repeated retrieval of more positive ones.
Repression and Dreams
Freud believed that dreams were one way to peek into the unconscious mind.
Repressed feelings may pop up in the fears, anxieties, and desires that we experience in these dreams.
While these feelings may be repressed, they have a way of sneaking out when we least expect them.
For example, a young child is bitten by a dog.
They later develop a severe phobia of dogs but have no memory of when or how this fear originated.
One of the key assumptions in the classic tradition of psychoanalysis has been that traumatic memories can be repressed.
However, most research has found that trauma actually tends to heighten memory of the painful event.
In many cases, trauma can actually strengthen the memory of an event.
Rather than experiencing repression of the painful memories, people relive them again and again, involuntarily.
This does not necessarily mean that memories of these events are completely accurate.
Memory distortions are common, especially because the encoding, storage, and retrieval processes are prone to errors.
Instead, some experts believe that bringing repressed material to light can be the first step toward change.
Understanding something, after all, is not enough to fix a problem.
But it can lead to further efforts that may result in real relief and lasting changes.
Incidents that prompt fears or phobias may be repressed.
Or, the mind may cope with other uncomfortable experiences or thoughts by repressing them.
These could include anything from being ridiculed by a classmate to losing a pet to neglect or abuse.
You might notice behavioral signs, such as discomfort with talking about your feelings.
You might even discover that you and a loved one have different recollections of certain events or situations.
A therapist can help you learn healthy coping skills.
Suppression is generally regarded as a mature, healthy defense mechanism.
Suppressed emotions are ones that are consciously withheld.
Repressed emotions are those that are unconsciously avoided.
They are often removed from awareness before a pereson has a chance to process them.
An example of suppression might be suppressing your feelings of anger when a co-worker makes an insensitive comment.
After work, you might then revisit your feeling when you vent about your day to your friends.
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