Repression is functional in extreme cases of shock and trauma, when difficult experiences threaten to overwhelm our ability for comprehension. It is functional in younger years as well, when psychological sophistication and more mature management skills lie beyond our grasp. But in almost all other cases, the use of repression as a coping skill proves itself to be powerfully dysfunctional. This is because repression succeeds in an individual only by severely compromising that individual's ability to perceive reality. It is the negative consequences of repression that cause us to pay it such careful attention.
Repression divides our beings into conscious and unconscious compartments of awareness.
It surrenders conscious management of our knowledge and awareness to an unconscious mechanism. And repression causes us to participate in unconscious behaviors of avoidance. This last characteristic is perhaps the most damaging, as it has an ultimately bewildering effect on our sense of personal validity. For all of these reasons, a working knowledge of the defense is desired. I have one final thought before we embark upon our discussion.