When a character suffers emotional pain, the brain’s response is to stop the discomfort, and often this results in a coping mechanism being deployed. Whether it’s an automatic response or a learned go-to strategy, a mechanism helps them cope with the stress of the moment or escape the hurt of it.
But if the character develops an unhealthy reliance on that mechanism, problems will arise. Long-term, certain coping behaviors will impair their connections with others, their ability to achieve goals and dreams, and their resiliency in handling life’s pressures.
At some point, they must have an Aha! moment where they realize their coping method is holding them back and they need to seek other ways to deal with stress. Namely, they’ll have to adopt healthier mechanisms that enable them to manage difficulties and ultimately have a happier future.
To help you write your character’s growth (or regression) journey, we’ve created The Coping Mechanism Thesaurus, which contains a range of coping methods. The one we’re highlighting today can be damaging, and we hope this partial entry will help you show your character’s struggle in a way readers can relate to.
Suppression
Definition
Intentionally dismissing distressing thoughts or feelings to avoid emotional discomfort and the situations that produce it. This mechanism differs from repression, which occurs when the character buries things so completely that they’re unable to remember or acknowledge them.
What It May Look Like
Being intensely uncomfortable with certain emotions
Changing the subject or getting upset when certain topics come up
Avoiding the news and what’s happening in current events
Exhibiting subdued emotional responses
Masking their true feelings through humor
Struggling with vulnerability and authenticity
Basic Human Needs It Could Compromise
Self-Actualization: To be fully actualized, a character must be able to acknowledge (and change, when necessary) all of themselves—even the uncomfortable bits.
Safety and Security: By ignoring emotions like fear, anger, or anxiety, the character may stay in unsafe situations, fail to address escalating conflicts, or overlook warning signs that their stability is at risk.
Fallout (and Possible Turning Points)
Becoming a victim of violence because they ignored their instincts and the emotions that signaled a potential problem
Seeing a doctor about a serious health issue and being told it’s likely due to stress and suppressed emotional responses
Discovering that others view them as weak or emotionally frail, and not wanting to be that way
Commitment to Change
Replacing unhealthy coping mechanisms with positive ones is how your character turns the page, but it starts with internal work, new habits, and practices:
Recognizing all emotions as necessary and important
Safely expressing their feelings through creative methods (fiction, art, dance, etc.)
For help brainstorming your character’s responses to stress, see our master list of healthy and unhealthy coping mechanisms.
Need More Descriptive Help?
While this thesaurus is still being developed and expanded, the rest of our descriptive collection (18 unique thesauri and growing) is accessible through the One Stop for Writers THESAURUS database.
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