How does the psychodynamic approach explain defence mechanisms like repression?

• A. The ego uses defence mechanisms to keep threatening impulses unconscious to reduce anxiety.
• B. The ego always acts to maximize pleasure.
• C. The superego controls all impulses.
• D. The unconscious content is never accessible.

Answer: (A)

Defence mechanisms are unconscious strategies the ego uses to manage anxiety by keeping conflicts between impulses and reality out of awareness. Repression is the classic example: unacceptable or threatening impulses are pushed into the unconscious so they can’t reach conscious thought and trigger anxiety. That’s why this statement best captures how the psychodynamic approach explains repression.

If you think about the other ideas: the ego isn’t focused on maximizing pleasure—that’s more about the id’s drive. The superego handles morals and ideals, not all impulses. And the unconscious content isn’t never accessible; repression keeps things out of awareness, but material from the unconscious can surface in therapy, dreams, or slips.