Repressive Coping and Health

Lynn B. Myers

The origins of the term repression can be traced back to Sigmund Freud, who considered repression as a mechanism of stopping anxiety-reaching consciousness. The modern usage of repression also refers to repression as a way of not attending to negative, emotional information. However, the use of the term has been considerably developed since the time of Freud. Nowadays, the most popular usage of repression recognizes it as an individual difference variable (or trait), and is thought of as a specific type of coping or defense mechanism that some people exhibit. Consequently, in this conceptualization of repression, individuals are said to have a repressive coping style or exhibit repressive defensiveness. The major defining characteristic of these individuals (who are usually termed repressors ) is that they do not recognize their own emotional responses and they use a variety of strategies to avoid their negative emotions. They seem to be self-deceivers rather ...

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