Repressive coping: Distraction using pleasant thoughts and memories.
Abstract
To avoid exposure to unpleasant or unwanted emotional material, some people may distract themselves by summoning up pleasant thoughts such as happy memories. Manipulation of negative affect might therefore result in heightened accessibility of pleasant thoughts and memories, contrary to hypotheses of mood-congruent recall. In Experiment 1, repressors were faster to recall happy memories after watching an unpleasant film than after watching a neutral film. Nonrepressors showed the opposite effect (i.e., mood-congruent memory). In Experiment 2, after an unpleasant film, repressors were faster to recall a happy memory than to recall a sad memory. In Experiment 3, repressors spontaneously generated pleasant thoughts after watching an unpleasant film, whereas nonrepressors did not. Thus, repressors apparently cope with exposure to negative affective material by accessing pleasant thoughts. Results are discussed in terms of cognitive defenses against emotional distress and the associative structure of repression.
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Emotion regulation can occur without conscious awareness.
“However, emotion regulation may also occur without conscious awareness, such as when one exaggerates one's joy upon receiving an unattractive present ~ Cole, 1986 ! , or when one quickly shifts attention away from something upsetting ~ Boden & Baumeister, 1997 ! .”
From Emotion regulation: affective, cognitive, and social consequences. (2002) · cites this paper as Boden & Baumeister, 1997
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Are normal narcissists psychologically healthy?: Self-esteem matters.
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- Authors
- Boden, J. M., & Baumeister, R. F.
- Affiliations
- Case Western Reserve University (US)
- Venue
- Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
- Published
- 1997
- Volume
- 73
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 45-62
- ISSN
- 0022-3514 (ISSN-L)
- 1939-1315
- OpenAlex
- W1997759353
- Cited by
- 147
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 7
- FWCI
- 3.27
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of Mental Health (MH 43826, R01MH043826)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory Processes and Influences
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Identity, Memory, and Therapy
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Philosophy › Memory, History, Trauma, Identity
- Keywords
- repression, repressive coping, distraction, mood-congruent memory, negative emotions, negative affect, cognitive defense, emotional distress
- MeSH terms
- Adaptation, Psychological, Cognition, Female, Humans, Male, Memory, Mental Recall, Repression, Psychology, Social Desirability, Thinking, Time Factors
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