![]() According to Colangelo (2009), Freud proposed the concept that neurosis had its origins in exposure to severely traumatic experiences that had occurred during childhood and were ultimately hidden from conscious awareness. Original theories proposed that repression was a future indicator of severe mental illness. Colangelo (2009), indicated that Freud was aware that the eviction of such emotionally charged memories from the conscious level to the unconscious level did require an active mechanism and that mechanism was to be identified as repression. The reason for repression in childhood trauma was debatable, but one thought was that it was the defense mechanism of the brain, as the memory of the event would be too significant and harmful to recall, it was pushed down into the subconscious (Rofe, 2008).Īccording to Eysenck and Keane (2015), Freud did propose the idea that repression does in fact involve an intentional and active process, but also proposed that repression sometime happens automatically. Freud proposed that when a child is exposed to a significant traumatic event, that those memories are actually erased from the conscious and pushed down into the subconscious. Original ThoughtĪccording to Colangelo (2009), Sigmund Freud is located directly in the center of the controversial theory of repression in memory. Due to the fact that the concept of repression in memory has evolved so rapidly, it is important to spend some time discussing original thought of repression compared to the modern day thought of repression. According to Eysenck and Keane (2015), some of the divide centered around questions such as: how does anyone know if someone were to have repressed memories if that someone is incapable of recalling those memories, in other words, how can we prove to know what we do not know? If repressed memories are stored somewhere in the unconscious, should not science first confirm the existence of the unconscious? However, one of the more significant questions raised (which will be discussed in more detail in a later section) was how can anyone prove the validity of these recovered memories? Unless there was someone else present at the time of the traumatic event, which is willing to substantiate the validity of the recovered memory, there is no way to prove the authenticity of that memory (Eysenck and Keane, 2015). Since the concept of repression was proposed, all the way to the modern era of thought, repression has been a point of great divide amongst cognitive theorist. According to Axmacher, Do Lam, Kessler, and Fell (2010), the original concept of repression was proposed back in 1824 by Herbart, but was later popularized by Sigmund Freud. HistoryĪs previously mentioned, modern day theory of repression is that of motivated forgetting of a traumatic experience however, this was not always the case. Processing repressed memories is critical to long term health thus, understanding motivated forgetting and the risks of false memory associated with recovered memories is highly important during treatment. ![]() While repression of childhood trauma can be a useful and even a necessary coping mechanism, unprocessed trauma can have a damaging effect on the mental, emotional, and even physical health of the individual. We will integrate the theory of repression with professional research with the intent of interpreting the link between repression and childhood trauma. Memory is used in every day functioning and is a critical part of human development however, what if memory was lost? What if an experience or even a period of time was simply erased? According to Eysenck and Keane (2015), repression is the concept of motivated forgetting of a traumatic experience (particularly from childhood). Memory is one of the more highly valued cognitive capabilities. ![]() Posted by Ryan House, PsyD Clinical Psychologist
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