repressed desires
Stifled inner wants
Repressed desires are wants or urges pushed out of conscious awareness, typically because they conflict with moral standards or social expectations.
The concept comes from psychoanalysis, where Freud argued that unacceptable wishes—often sexual or aggressive—get buried in the unconscious but continue influencing behavior: His repressed desires surfaced in dreams.
The phrase now appears broadly for any stifled longing: Years of repressed desires finally drove her to quit and travel the world.
- unconscious mindMental processes beneath awareness
- avoidanceDeliberate keeping away
- guiltMoral self-reproach
- shadow selfUnconscious rejected aspects
- hidden selfConcealed true identity
inner child · taboo · dark secret · defense mechanisms · Freudian theory · longing · sublimation · moral codes · shame · guilty pleasure · projection · overcompensation · acting out · passive-aggressiveness · wish fulfillment · yearning · stigma · frustration
- unconscious driveslibido, instincts, survival instinct, aggression, fear response
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