To hold back, restrain, or suppress something, especially emotions, desires, or actions. To prevent the natural expression or development of something.
From Latin 'reprimere' meaning to press back or check, from 're-' (back) + 'premere' (to press). The word literally means to press something back down, capturing the physical effort required to suppress natural impulses.
Freud popularized the psychological meaning of 'repress,' but the word's physical origins reveal something profound about mental processes - we literally experience suppressing emotions as a kind of pressure or force. The metaphor of pressing something down captures how exhausting it can be to constantly suppress natural responses.
Tied to Freudian psychology which pathologized women's sexuality and agency as 'repression.' Term often used to delegitimize women's choices and emotional boundaries as psychological dysfunction.
Use clinically for unconscious suppression of thoughts. Avoid when describing women's autonomy over sexuality/boundaries—reframe as 'choice' or 'boundary-setting.'
["suppress","constrain","choose not to express"]
Women's refusal of sexual advances or emotional labor is boundary-setting, not repression; centering women's agency rejects pathologizing frameworks.
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