Impulse Control and Repression

Abstract

Perhaps, as was demonstrated in an earlier section, the prolonged state of helplessness in infancy and childhood uniquely differentiates us as a species in comparison to other species. Or perhaps it is our next subject that uniquely characterizes us. One may say we are unique as a species in being rational or social; however, both of these characteristics may be observed on some level in certain other species. More to the point may be that we are the neurotic animal. And, by neurotic, I mean repressed. Humans are the species that adapt by repressing. While it may be possible that other species adapt in some limited ways by employing some kind of repressive measures, surely it is humans who exclusively employ repression in such a large-scale fashion.