Repression in the young and elderly : impression management or self-deception?

The construct of repression has received a resurgence of experimental attention in the past 20 years, due in large part to the development of the typology method of classification (Weinberger, Schwartz, and Davidson, 1979). According to the typology method, individuals are classified as repressors if they self-report low anxiety and high social desirability. Since the typology method of classification does not differentiate between the two factors comprising social desirability (impression management and self-deception), it is important to determine which component is actually characterizing repressors, or whether it is a combination of the two. The present study examined two questions; (1) are repressors engaging in self-deception, impression management, or both and (2) does the construct of repression change as a function of age? Results suggest that in a college age population self-deception characterized the repressor memory; in an elderly population present negative mood state was the only variable predicting repressive memory.Department of Psychological ScienceThesis (M.A.