Trauma theory is based on the idea that repression occurs to protect people from traumatic memories that could interfere with their normal functioning. ... Adaptive Forgetting Hypothesis.

Repression has often been described as the forgetting of emotionally traumatic experiences, whereas Anderson’s study involved relatively neutral words, he notes.

Key points. This 10-part series on self-deception spotlights some our most important ego defences. Here in Part 2, we look at repression, the "forgetting" of unacceptable drives, emotions, ideas ...