Etymologically, the word repression comes from the Latin "repressionis" and refers to both the action and the effect of repressing, with the meaning of arbitrary power to prevent the exercise of an action or to punish it if the act has already been carried out. Being oneself means having the ability to express thoughts and feelings in an assertive way, that is, having the power to bring out what is within oneself, without repression.
In psychoanalysis, repression is what the individual keeps in his unconscious because it is something that hurts or condemns him. It is a means of protection that the person uses involuntarily to avoid suffering, so he "forgets" certain acts that he has seen, heard or performed, or immoral or illegal ideas; But nevertheless, they usually appear in their dreams or in certain acts, emotions or reactions that are difficult for them to explain.
Repression is a defense mechanism that consists of expelling wishes, feelings, or thoughts from consciousness.
For Freud, repression was a strategy to render unacceptable mental content unconscious. For example, a person with very religious ideas, unlike another person who awakens his sexual desire, may not recognize in himself even the smallest physiological messages that his body sends him.
In politics, repression can be legal (when it is framed within the constitution) or illegal (state or parastatal forces act without respect for the law and commit crimes in their actions). In general, repression involves a certain amount of violence.
The objective of repression is to prevent a group of people from harming the rights of other subjects or from engaging in illegal practices. When the repression exceeds the legal limits, the repressors themselves are the ones who end up in illegality and annul legitimate rights such as freedom of expression or demonstration.
Sexual repression can be involuntary or unconscious linked to this unconscious repression, which generates a feeling of guilt; or it can be religious or ethical, and in those cases, voluntary or as a requirement of a moral or religious authority that may coincide with policy in those countries where religious laws apply as legal norms.
