the act of repressing; control by holding down; "his goal was the repression of insolence" (psychiatry) the classical defense mechanism that protects you from impulses or ideas that would cause anxiety by preventing them from becoming conscious a state of forcible subjugation; "the long repression of Christian sects
Repression of feelings, especially sexual ones, is a person's unwillingness to allow themselves to have natural feelings and desires. the repression of his feelings about men. In metabolism, a control mechanism by which a protein molecule, called a repressor, prevents the synthesis of an enzyme by binding to (and thus hindering the action of) the DNA that controls the enzyme's synthesis. Though the process has been studied mainly in microorganisms, it is believed to occur in a similar way in higher organisms. See also inhibition. In psychoanalytic theory, the exclusion of distressing memories, thoughts, or feelings from the conscious mind. Often involving sexual or aggressive urges or painful childhood memories, these unwanted mental contents are pushed into the unconscious mind. Repression is thought to give rise to anxiety and to neurotic symptoms, which begin when a forbidden drive or impulse threatens to enter the conscious mind. Psychoanalysis seeks to uncover repressed memories and feelings through free association as well as to examine the repressed wishes released in dreams. See also unconscious
(psychiatry) the classical defense mechanism that protects you from impulses or ideas that would cause anxiety by preventing them from becoming conscious a state of forcible subjugation; "the long repression of Christian sects
A psychological defense by which individuals unable to deal with their own anxiety because of threatening events push these impulses into the unconscious; as a coping style, repression involves ignoring or not dealing fully with threatening events
A term associated with Freudian psychology which implies that painful memories or experiences are relegated to regions of the unconscious mind as a means to avoid conflict in the conscious state Repression has been suggested to be a possible cause for the infrequency of negative or frightful NDE experiences
disapproval Repression is the use of force to restrict and control a society or other group of people. a society conditioned by violence and repression. = oppression