Which defense mechanism involves pushing distressing memories out of conscious awareness?

Which defense mechanism involves pushing distressing memories out of conscious awareness?

• A. Repression
• B. Denial
• C. Projection
• D. Regression

Answer: (A)

Pushing distressing memories out of conscious awareness happens to reduce anxiety by keeping painful experiences hidden from awareness. This is repression, a mostly unconscious process where the memory remains below the level of conscious thought. Denial would be resisting the reality of the situation rather than hiding the memory itself; projection moves one's own unacceptable feelings onto others; regression retreats to earlier, childlike behaviors under stress. A helpful example is a person who cannot recall a traumatic event but continues to experience unexplained anxiety in related situations, indicating the memory is not accessible to conscious awareness.

Pushing distressing memories out of conscious awareness happens to reduce anxiety by keeping painful experiences hidden from awareness. This is repression, a mostly unconscious process where the memory remains below the level of conscious thought. Denial would be resisting the reality of the situation rather than hiding the memory itself; projection moves one's own unacceptable feelings onto others; regression retreats to earlier, childlike behaviors under stress. A helpful example is a person who cannot recall a traumatic event but continues to experience unexplained anxiety in related situations, indicating the memory is not accessible to conscious awareness.