In psychology, the concept of repression was first developed by Sigmund Freud, and refers to the mechanism of forgetting thoughts, memories, and feelings of desire that causes one distress and the unconscious process by which such memories are placed out of conscious awareness.
It acts as a psychological buffer preventing the person from succumbing to feelings of anxiety and emotional pain, by keeping the threatening issue buried in the unconscious. For instance, a person who suffered a trauma in childhood might not remember it at all, but the emotional remnants of that trauma probably would impact their actions, social interactions, or their mental state.
Repression also has the potential to alleviate distress in the short-term, however in the long-term it does lingering damage. The material that lies underneath the surface might surface in the form of dreams, or phobias, anxiety, depression, and becomes more psychologically complex. Freud saw repression as the center mechanism of psychoanalysis of which he built the backbone of his personality and psychopathology theories around. Arguments and attacks from modern psychology around Freud’s concept has also been met with some critically acclaimed research that certainly has its defenders, the argument that trauma and its memories are capable of being pulled from the ether, however, it should also be mentioned that the contemporary world of memory suppression and trauma in defense of Freud’s ideals is a complex topic that allows the conclusion to be drawn that blocking thoughts does happen. In both clinical and cultural settings, repression is a concept that is understood and widely practiced. It portrays the relationship between the conscious and unconscious realms, which is complex and deep.