In short, our professor explained to us that there are two approaches as to how subconscious thoughts and emotions work. The first one is that sometimes thought processes are subconscious, but they can be "brought to light" relatively easily; this perspective has been well-validated and compatible with modern psychology. The second approach is the psychoanalytic one - that some thoughts and emotions are forcefully kept away from the consciousness in order to self-regulate. This position has been debunked and doesn't seem to have empirical basis.

That's why classical psychoanalysis today, where you dig deep into thoughts and feelings in order to go beyond the "defensive forces" of the mind (in German also called Abwehr), is seen as outdated.

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