We know that what forms us is what comes into our consciousness and what we do. However, we are not always willing to make revelations, either to ourselves or to others. Let's understand better the meaning of download and how it is constructed.

What is recalcitrance?

Recalcitrance can denote a form of defense of the mental structure against any idea that is not compatible with the "I Furthermore, in psychoanalysis, to repress is shown as a psychic instance that ends up separating the conscious from the unconscious. It is as if we buried every memory that contradicts us and deprives us of some pleasure.

We begin to structure memory traces that end up being stored in the unconscious. In short, these are the marks of our affective experiences during our development. For example, a baby cries in pain the first time he feels hunger, but the second time this is already registered.

It is valid to make it clear that when we talk about repressing we should not associate it with spontaneity. The mechanism doesn't always appear because there is a block against bad memories. Since it designates painful events, there is no reason to be chased by them all the time.

Why do we repress?

We understand better what repressing is when we look at our relationship with traumas or the contradictory. We end up submerging these events and making an unconscious denial about them. Forgetfulness becomes an escape valve, so that what is contrary to us is moved to a place that is inaccessible consciously .

As soon as denial ignites, forgetfulness arises, so that everything is not tangible to us. Thanks to this blockage, we are prevented from entering into any conflict that has a chance of surfacing. We unconsciously try to get rid of the pain, even though it is part of our development.

According to Freud, repression happens because of the possible displeasure in the direct satisfaction of the pulsional motion. This happens when in the movement dissonance happens in front of the demands made by other psychic structures. Besides them, the external part can also cause friction.

Signs

Basically, repressing is about pulling in your pain and hiding it often. It turns out that your unconscious does not disintegrate them, but seems to accumulate these experiences and reflect them at some point This is done through the:

Dreams

Our frustrations are often relived in dreams, which are direct reflections of our wills, desires, and frustrations hidden during our conscious life. However, it is possible to see what bothers us based on the interpretations of a qualified psychoanalyst.

Neurotic symptoms

The neurosis, or even the symptoms of it, can come to the surface thanks to the movement of the recalcitrance. It comes out of an unconscious cover to gain the conscious field through these fractures. According to another concept of Psychoanalysis, we are all subject to have some degree of neurosis, psychopathy or perversion.

The importance of hiding

The act of repressing is what ultimately enables our own existence and makes us possible. Although it may seem confusing, the nature created upon repression is important and has its value. It exhibits a part in our essence that is not positive or constructive .

Thus, in order for us to grow, we all need to repress the evil, the violence that is not socially accepted. Such an event only happens because there are continuous repressive mechanisms that hold this force in order for it to become permanent. Otherwise, this bestial part arises and this is not good, even if it constitutes us.

It is worth pointing out that this happens in a permanent way in each of us. However, we only continue to do the repressing because life needs to go on. Even so, it does not describe that we are one-sided: we have good and evil, and the latter will always be hidden.

Recalcitrance for Lacan

In the 20th century, Jacques Lacan gave a new interpretation to the theory of repression by using metonymy and metaphor. With this, the work of displacement took on a new meaning, as did the first figure of speech. This ended up giving a new definition to the term, parallel, but also different compared to the original one .

According to him, metaphor does the work of substituting one term for another in any given situation. In the process, this new view ends up moving under something, hiding from something else with the change. It is this movement that serves as the linguistic relation of the repressive dynamic, or the repression.

Mechanism of repressive action

Freud unpacked the term recalcitrance very well as he always found layer after layer. Nevertheless, it proved to be a wise decision as each part can be observed in parts and then joined together. The mechanism is divided into three parts, the first being:

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Original settling

It happens when we expel from consciousness the intolerable representations interconnected with the drive. This ends up creating a split in the soul existence, delimiting conscious and unconscious areas. In this way it makes possible a later repression, whereby each representation when pulled by these representations can be repressed .

Secondary impounding

The secondary repression is the one that displaces something to the unconscious and keeps it there. In general, these are the representations that are intolerable to consciousness and that cannot be dealt with. In this way, they end up being attracted to the unconscious nucleus formed by the original repression.

Return of the repressed

It is when the repressed person demonstrates his or her psychic affection, something that manages to reach consciousness in some way, thus obtaining a kind of satisfaction through unconscious formations, such as our faulty acts, dreams, and even the symptoms of neurosis.

Recalcitrance in Popular Culture

In recent years we have had extensive use of the word recalcar in music, theater, and in informal language. Looking at this recalcar in the colloquial dictionary, it takes on the value of envy. Therefore, the recalcitrant individual would be someone who feels envious and cannot stand to see others well .

However, this recalcitus is exactly the opposite of what psychoanalysis says. The term in psychotherapy speaks of internalizing everything difficult that one experiences. The one in popular culture exposes in a direct way what an individual feels and still projects to the environment and to people.

If this recalcitrant of popular culture were the one from Psychoanalysis, he would not be someone so distressed. He would be more neutral about his problems with himself and others. As it has gained a more pejorative tone, recalcitrant is used as an offense, although it is used in the wrong way.

Final considerations about the meaning of repressing

In every incoming environment, the term repress takes on a new meaning Some even revitalize the original concept, but others end up misrepresenting its very nature, so if you use the term in an offensive connotation, know that you are mistaken.

The recalcitus is a protection of all our negative experiences during life. It is like a psychic seal that keeps everything that touches us and ends up hurting us. Thus, when an individual is, in fact, recalcitrant, this indicates that he has no conflicts or anxieties.

To better understand these and other aggregating premises in your growth, enroll in our online Clinical Psychoanalysis course. The classes are a development exercise where you connect with your own essence and can see your potential. Unlike the act of repressing, you will only project to the world all the power you carry when you enroll in the course .