ISSN : 1229-067X
Repression, a defense mechanism rejecting and keeping something out of consciousness, is generally regarded as maladaptive. However, recent studies in Korea have reported adaptive characteristics of repressor. This study investigated whether this difference is due to cultural contexts, or low validity of the repression measurement. In Study 1, the validity of repression related to avoidance and minimization of emotional experience was investigated. A total of 454 college students (281 women and 173 men) were allocated into four groups (repressor, truly low-anxious Ss, high-anxious Ss, defensive high-anxious Ss) based on the scores of the Manifest Anxiety Scale and MCSDS. The results showed no significant hypothetic group differences. The repressor presented higher affect intensity, similar level of emotional attention, and lower experiential avoidance compared to the truly low-anxious Ss. In other words, the validity of the distinction of repressor was not confirmed. In Study 2, to exclude the possibility of self-deception involved in repressors' self-report, the group differences in psychophysiologic reactivity [Heart Rate Variability(HRV) that reflects autonomic nervous system reactivity] to stressors were examined. The results indicated no significant hypothetic group differences on psychophysiologic reactivities in both of implicit stress condition (taking ability test) and explicit stress condition (bogus failure feedback), nor on pre- and post- mood changes. In sum, the validity of the above repressor measurement was not supported in Korea, This suggests the need of including behavioral and physiological measurement to study how repression functions in Korea.
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