Repression is defined as which of the following?

• A. The ejection from conscious thoughts, denying or forgetting the impulse provoking anxiety.
• B. The purposeful forgetting of all memories.
• C. Expressing impulses in the opposite direction.
• D. Attributing impulses to others.

Answer: (A)

Repression is a defense mechanism in which unacceptable impulses, thoughts, or memories are kept out of conscious awareness. This describes the unconscious denial or forgetting of the impulse that provokes anxiety, effectively ejecting it from conscious thought without deliberate effort. The other ideas map to different mechanisms: trying to forget all memories isn’t accurate for repression, expressing impulses in the opposite direction describes reaction formation, and attributing impulses to others describes projection. Repression is typically unconscious and serves to protect the individual from distressing material by keeping it out of awareness.