Why Thought Suppression is Counter-Productive (Extra Credit)

http://www.spring.org.uk/2009/05/why-thought-suppression-is-counter-productive.php#more-6059

This article explores the reason for the thoughts we try to suppress coming back at us. They looked at many tests done, and found something called a "Thought Rebound." That is when the thought that is trying to be surpressed comes back stronger, and happens a lot. One study had some people try to not think about a white bear. The other people weren't told to do anything. They spoke their thoughts out loud, and any time they thought of a white bear they had to ring a bell. The ones trying to not think about the white bear rang the bell twice as much as the others. This is shown to happen a lot. It happens more with emotional memories, as more tests have found. Then it was thought that practice as suppressing a memory made it easier to suppress. This theory was tested and it was found out that that was a correct assumption. Practice makes perfect.

At the end the article ponders why this would happen. To some people it seems like their brain is being disobedient. A theory known as "ironic processes theory" explains that when the brain is told to suppress something, the unconscious checks to see if it is being correctly suppressed, while the conscious is trying to distract itself. Once the unconscious picks up on a signal that reminds it of the suppressed thought, the distraction turns off and the suppressed thought comes back up.

This was a great article, that wasn't just interesting but also comprehendable. It was concise and to-the-point, and I got everything I needed to know out of it. Thought suppression is something I sometimes wonder about, and this article was very helpful in my understanding of the subject, in not just why it happens, but also how it happens.

It is also very relevant to psychology, especially people trying to suppress bad thoughts. A person might be trying to suppress the thoughts, and after reading this article realize that that isn't helping, and try to find something else to do. This is something a lot of depressed people have to deal with. This article also includes a paragraph about how suppressing bad feelings of depression makes them come back stronger, and is therefore unhelpful.