répression

Repression is the act of suppressing or restraining thoughts, feelings, impulses, or actions. In everyday use it refers to keeping unwanted mental content from conscious awareness. In psychology, repression is a defense mechanism through which distressing memories or desires are kept unconscious to reduce anxiety.

Etymology: from Latin repressio, from reprimere “to press back.” The term gained prominence in psychoanalytic theory in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but its usage extends beyond clinical psychology to describe political, social, and cultural suppression.

Psychological repression: Freud proposed that repressed material influences behavior and symptoms, though the exact prevalence and mechanisms remain debated. Repression is often contrasted with suppression, which is conscious avoidance of thoughts. Contemporary research emphasizes a spectrum of regulation strategies and questions the universality of repressed memories.

Political and social repression: In political contexts, repression denotes actions by state or powerful groups to curtail dissent, including censorship, intimidation, surveillance, arrests, and use of force. Repressive policies can target political opposition, minorities, or dissident movements and may have lasting impacts on civil liberties and social stability.

Cultural and historical repression: Repression can involve suppression of cultural practices, languages, or identities, or attempts to erase memory of controversial events. Such practices affect education, public discourse, and collective memory.

Critique and nuance: Repression is one of several concepts used to describe how societies and individuals manage unacceptable content. Critics argue that memories claimed to be repressed can be unreliable, and that not all distress stems from repression; modern approaches emphasize contextual and dynamic processes of emotion regulation and memory.