Which defence mechanism involves pushing uncomfortable thoughts into the unconscious?

Which defence mechanism involves pushing uncomfortable thoughts into the unconscious?

• A. Denial
• B. Repression
• C. Displacement
• D. Projection

Answer: (B)

Pushing uncomfortable thoughts into the unconscious is repression, a defence mechanism that reduces anxiety by keeping painful memories or impulses out of conscious awareness. In psychoanalytic theory, the ego uses repression to prevent distress from entering consciousness; the material stays hidden but can still influence behavior and sometimes surface later in dreams or slips of the tongue. By contrast, denial involves refusing to accept reality, displacement redirects emotions to a safer target, and projection attributes one’s own unacceptable thoughts to others. Repression is specifically about burying those thoughts and feelings below conscious awareness.

Pushing uncomfortable thoughts into the unconscious is repression, a defence mechanism that reduces anxiety by keeping painful memories or impulses out of conscious awareness. In psychoanalytic theory, the ego uses repression to prevent distress from entering consciousness; the material stays hidden but can still influence behavior and sometimes surface later in dreams or slips of the tongue. By contrast, denial involves refusing to accept reality, displacement redirects emotions to a safer target, and projection attributes one’s own unacceptable thoughts to others. Repression is specifically about burying those thoughts and feelings below conscious awareness.