What Is Suppression?

Suppression is a psychological defense mechanism, as well as a technique used in cognitive psychology, that involves consciously putting troublesome thoughts or ideas out of one's mind. Its effectiveness is the subject of much debate.

History

• In 1892, Sigmund Freud listed suppression as one of several ego defense mechanisms, or techniques that the mind uses to protect itself from unpleasant thoughts and feelings. Suppression is a close cousin to repression. The difference is that repression occurs on an unconscious level while suppression involves consciously trying to block a thought from one's mind.

Function

• In the 1980s, cognitive psychologists developed "thought stopping," a method of dealing with negative thoughts. Clients were encouraged to stop negative or obsessive thoughts by saying the word no or trying to immediately replace the disturbing thought with a positive thought.

Considerations

• Thought stopping was an accepted treatment technique until the mid-1990s, when Daniel Wegner published his book, "White Bears and Other Unwanted Thoughts: Suppression, Obsession, and the Psychology of Mental Control." Wegner's research showed no benefit to thought stopping. If anything, the technique caused a "rebound" effect that made the thought recur even more frequently than if no intervention were used.