Repression And Repression In Psychology

Repression

In life, human beings experience traumatic events; whether accidents, death or any other trauma, such occurrences harm the person’s psychological well-being. In some cases, people are unable to deal with the aftermath of such occurrences; they thus deals with it by pushing it out of consciousness into the sub-conscious. Instead of dealing with the problem, they ignore it through psychological processes; this research paper focuses on the analysis of the process. It is a process known as repression (Loftus, 1993).

Repression is a very general concept in the field of psychology researched by many scholars through the years. Psychologists and other professionals attempt to understand repression and how it affects the wellbeing of individuals. Repression affects people positively and negatively; studies provide empirical evidence on the extent of repression in dealing with traumatic experiences.

There is a basic understanding of what transpires when repression occurs; when something shocking or traumatic occurs, a person’s mind analyzes and deals with it. When the mind cannot deal with the occurrence, it pushes the memory into sub-consciousness where it cannot access it. In some instances, the repressed memory may emerge into consciousness. Many studies on the concept of repression focus on memories such as; accidents, death of loved ones, and memories of childhood cases of sexual abuse. Many of the subjects unearth memories events that occurred 20, 30 or even forty years ago. Such results raise further questions on the influence of repression on individuals. The questions look into whether repressed memories influence personality and behavior and the reality of the memories.

Sigmund Freud’s theory of repression is a corner...

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...n repression have received both support and criticism; supporters associate with psychoanalysis and see it as a means of understanding human psychology. Critics question the scientific status of the concept. Experiments also do not provide adequate evidence on repression.

Repression remains significant in the field of psychology and a cornerstone in psychoanalysis. Its comprehension is necessary for therapists, counsellors, and other professionals in the field. It helps in understanding patients with cases of repression; they can then be helped in unearthing and coping with the repressed memories. Through coping, they solve problems and gain control. There are still inadequate studies and research on the concept of repression. More research should occur in order to provide information and a better understanding of repression and other related psychological concepts.