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Repression and Suppression
We can never be sure that
the opinion we are endeavoring to stifle is a false opinion; and even if we were
sure, stifling it would be an evil still.
John Stuart Mill
 |  Suppression is a conscious choice not to
indulge a particular thought, feeling, or action. Not to indulge means that we
are aware of a thought or feeling, but we decide not to dwell on it internally,
by continuing to think about it, nor to express it externally, by acting it out.
Usually we suppress because of the impulse's inappropriateness with regard to
the situation or because of time constraints in which we just can't deal with
that right now. Suppression is a useful psychological mechanism that permits us
to concentrate on our affairs without being distracted by every impulse that
arises, and without having to act on those impulses. We acknowledge the
impulses, and we accept their presence and the fact that they can emerge again,
to be reconciled or suppressed. |
| Repression is similar to suppression in that a thought or feeling
or emotion is not expressed but in repression, we deny that the element even
exists. The repressed element can come into our conscious awareness and then be
denied, or it can be prohibited from our awareness. It is blocked because it has
been judged it to be disruptive to our psychological stability or our self
image. Obviously, both the stability and the self image are illusory, because
they are based on a rejection of the reality of our own thoughts, feelings, and
emotions. |
The positive aspects of repression.
| Repression can be a useful defense mechanism. Even though repression is
generally viewed as a destructive act, it is rightly called a defense mechanism
because it defends us against psychological material that can indeed be
dangerous if we don't have the ego strength or psychological skills to manage
certain challenges to the ego. If a young boy must play the role of a perfectly
sweet child to please his demanding parents, he may not know any way to survive
except to deny his occasional anger. He can select the option of suppression if
he knew that he can secretly acknowledge within the privacy of strong ego
boundaries both the anger and the unfairness of his parents' demands.
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The negative aspects of repression.
| Whether repressed or suppressed, the elements remain intact and energized.
They continue to influence us while they push for expression. Even though
suppression can cause tension and conflict, repression can cause even more
damage, particularly because our unawareness of it means that we have less
ability to recognize the ways in which it is affecting us and harming us. The
following results occur from material during the time that it is repressed: |
| Our perceptions are distorted. While the repressed material is in our
potential, it projects onto people and situations. Fear that has been
repressed and then projected will color our perceptions of the world as a
frightening place. When we are not perceiving accurately, we acquire
incorrect information from our surroundings, and we respond inappropriately
by reacting fearfully to situations that are not truly dangerous. |
| Repression distorts our observations in this moment, and also our
memories of the past and our expectations for the future. |
| Repressed material is not available for our use. Every thought and
emotion has a potential purpose, perhaps offering new perspectives, and some
vitality, and a broader understanding of our wholeness as we realize that we
have the capacity for such a thought or emotion. When we repress, we are
refusing these gifts. If we deny our fear, we are not able to use the energy
that is associated with it, nor can we have a full perspective on the
dangers that are triggering the fear. |
| Repression prevents us from understanding ourselves. If we examine
our selfishness instead of pretending that it doesn't exist, we can find the
reasons for our behavior. Perhaps we will realize that it is actually a
reasonable response to people who are abusing our tendency toward
generosity. In another example, if we analyze a thought of violence toward
an offending person, we can learn much about our ego, our boundaries, our
needs, our viewpoints, our projections, and other aspects of ourselves. |
| Repressed material remains unresolved. If we don't even admit that an
emotion or thought exists, we can't take action toward a solution. If we
disavow our capacity for selfishness, we won't look for the reason why it
occurs, nor will we recognize the ways in which it is wrecking our
friendships, and we won't seek ways to maintain our dignity and boundaries
while also being loving and generous enough to support those friendships. |
| Repressed emotions become difficult to express in a constructive manner.
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| Repression causes physical distress. The repressed energy is lodged
in the body, where it can be experienced as physical tension, physical
numbness, lack of vitality, the physical and psychological symptoms of
depression, diminished body awareness, and eventually illness. Massage
therapists and other body workers know that when their treatments release
physical stress, the clients often feel an upsurge of emotions, the emotions
that have been locked into those tissues. |
| Repression consumes energy. The effort to keep material in the
subconscious mind is like the effort to keep a buoyant object underwater. We
are using energy to hold back the energy of the repressed elements. When
repressed material is released, we experience a feeling of lightness and
freedom, and power, because the energy from the material and from our effort
to repress it is now available for a constructive use. |
| Repression causes emotional numbness. We repress by intellectually
denying the reality of the emotion, and by desensitizing ourselves to our
awareness of the movement and pressure of the emotional energy within us.
The extent to which we repress one emotion or sensation is the extent to
which we repress all emotions or sensations. When we refuse to feel fear and
anger, we also lose our capacity to feel happiness and pleasure. |
| The repressed material does not develop. For instance, if we repress
our anger, we do not learn how to express it properly, because we are
denying ourselves the opportunities to practice the various ways in which
the dynamics of anger can be used in an effective, civilized manner. When we
have not developed these skills, the anger, when it finally bursts out of
its repression, has an immature nature, as in a temper tantrum. |
| The contents regress. Not only do they not develop, they proceed in
the opposite direction, becoming more primitive and unfocused. Anger
degenerates into a general, vague hostility. |
| The contents become autonomous. They seem to create a life of their
own. The ego has denied its connection to them and it has no control over
them, so they arise at inappropriate moments, and in inappropriate ways,
often driving us into compulsive behavior. In that sense, they control us.
As the ego makes plans and designs its life, the repressed contents seem to
develop agendas of their own, as though plotting a way to express
themselves, but their expression will necessarily be contrary to our will,
as though an alien force is imposing itself upon us. |
| The contents can cause a reversal in our behavior. |
Techniques for dealing with repression and suppression
| We develop self acceptance, that is simply a willingness to view
reality, the reality that certain thoughts or feelings or emotions are occurring
within us regardless of whether we like them. As we cultivate respect for the
natural psychological processes of the creation of thoughts and feelings and
emotions, we can actively select the ones that are expressed productively in any
given situation, while carefully suppressing those that need to be set aside for
a later time.
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Next topic: Emotions
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