The Difference Between Repression and Supression

When something is supressed, this is done with conscious deliberation. For example, I feel angry at a person and am afraid that if I continue to feel angry that I will express it. So, I choose to purposely suppress the anger. I push it down, so to speak. I try to distract myself from the anger by directing my attention elsewhere, trying to be polite instead, or whatever self-control tactics I might use in such a situation.

With repression, the removal of an emotion from consciousness is done without any conscious awareness of the emotion being present in the first place. So, someone who has repressed hostility and then expresses hostility has no recognition that they are in fact being hostile. For example, have you ever been the target of a hostile “joke?” And when you object to the joke, the person says, “I was just kidding.” If you press this person on what was supposed to be humorous about their hostile jab, you may see the person get defensive, become confused, more strongly deny hostile intent, and so on. They might even feel hurt by your accusing them of being hostile!

man in front of his mirror in shadow white background