Suppression

Definition

Suppression is the conscious effort to avoid or inhibit the recollection of unwanted memories or thoughts. This process plays a significant role in how we manage distressing or uncomfortable information, often leading to altered memory recall and can contribute to forgetting. By actively choosing not to think about certain memories, individuals may inadvertently distort their memory processes.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Suppression can be a coping mechanism for dealing with traumatic or negative experiences, allowing individuals to focus on more positive aspects of life.
2. While suppression can reduce immediate emotional distress, it may lead to increased anxiety and intrusive thoughts over time as unresolved memories linger.
3. Research shows that attempts to suppress memories can sometimes lead to stronger retrieval cues, making those memories more accessible later on.
4. Suppression is often linked to various psychological conditions, such as anxiety disorders and PTSD, where individuals frequently try to block out painful experiences.
5. The process of suppression can interfere with memory consolidation, potentially leading to gaps in memory or altered perceptions of past events.

Review Questions

• How does suppression differ from repression in terms of conscious and unconscious processes?
  • Suppression is a conscious process where individuals actively choose to avoid recalling certain memories or thoughts. In contrast, repression is an unconscious defense mechanism that automatically pushes distressing thoughts out of awareness without the individual's active decision. This distinction is crucial because it highlights different strategies people use to cope with uncomfortable experiences, with suppression being more deliberate than repression.
• Discuss the impact of suppression on memory distortion and how it might affect someone's overall recollection of past events.
  • Suppression can lead to significant memory distortion by altering how memories are formed and retrieved. When individuals suppress certain memories, they may inadvertently strengthen the retrieval cues associated with those memories, making them harder to forget. This creates a cycle where the effort to suppress leads to increased anxiety and potential gaps in recollection, resulting in a distorted understanding of past events that may not align with objective reality.
• Evaluate the long-term psychological implications of using suppression as a coping mechanism for traumatic experiences.
  • While suppression might provide short-term relief from distressing thoughts related to trauma, its long-term psychological implications can be detrimental. Over time, reliance on suppression can exacerbate symptoms of anxiety and lead to intrusive thoughts or flashbacks. This avoidance behavior can hinder emotional processing and recovery, potentially resulting in chronic stress and increased vulnerability to mental health disorders like PTSD. Therefore, while it may seem effective initially, the cumulative effects of suppression can complicate an individual's emotional well-being.

Related terms

repression: Repression is an unconscious defense mechanism that prevents distressing thoughts and memories from entering awareness, differing from suppression, which is a conscious act.

memory distortion:

Memory distortion refers to the inaccuracies in recall that can occur due to various factors, including the influence of suppression on how memories are formed and retrieved.

cognitive load: Cognitive load is the amount of mental effort being used in the working memory, which can affect the ability to suppress unwanted memories effectively.