Crowding out

Repression in psychology: description, examples, mechanisms

Repression is a mental defense mechanism that helps us avoid unpleasant or unacceptable ideas, feelings and memories. This mechanism can be used both in everyday life and in more serious situations such as trauma or psychological problems.

In psychoanalysis, repression is considered one of the main defense mechanisms that protects a person from realizing his true desires and needs. Repression allows us to ignore or remove from consciousness unwanted thoughts and ideas that may cause discomfort or anxiety.

Examples of repression can be observed in everyday life. For example, a person may repress unpleasant memories of the past to avoid negative emotions. Repression can also be used to protect against sexual or aggressive thoughts and feelings.

The mechanisms of repression may be different, but they are all aimed at protecting us from unpleasant experiences. One such mechanism is suppression, which is when we try not to think about something that causes us negative emotions. Another mechanism is denial, where we refuse to acknowledge the existence of something that might cause negative feelings.

In addition, repression may be associated with personality development and its evolution. For example, in childhood we often use repression to avoid unpleasant experiences associated with parents or significant others. Over time, we can learn to use repression more consciously and adaptively to cope with difficulties and stress in life.

However, repression can also lead to negative consequences. For example, if we constantly repress unpleasant thoughts and feelings from our consciousness, this can lead to the development of depression or other mental disorders. Therefore, it is important to be able to recognize and work with repression in order to improve your life and mental health.

Article on the topic "Displacement"

Repression (or Repression in Psychoanalysis) is a defensive psychological mechanism that is used to remove negative or unacceptable impulsive tendencies, ideas and impulses from the mind. The purpose of this mechanism is to protect the individual from mental trauma, feelings of guilt, or reluctance to face traumatic experiences.

Today, repression theory is widely used in psychotherapy and personality psychology. According to this theory, as a result of an unconscious process of repression under the influence of social pressure or moral attitudes, the individual begins to block the awareness of his “bad” side (aggression, desire to commit illegal acts, etc.). Such suppression can continue even after the person has eliminated the traumatic effects.

Examples that illustrate this mechanism are cases of crime committed under the influence of impulse or temptation, as well as cases of the victim committing suicide caused by severe stress or a hysterical reaction to what is happening around. However, this mechanism also has its negative consequences when it blocks awareness of one’s needs,