Definition
A conscious defense mechanism in which a person deliberately sets aside a troubling thought, feeling, or memory in order to deal with it later. Unlike repression, which is unconscious, suppression is intentional and the person remains aware of what they have set aside.
Plain English
Choosing to push something out of your mind on purpose so you can keep functioning, while knowing it is still there to deal with later.
Context Anchor
Seen in human behavior and instructor discussions, especially when explaining how students may react to stress, fear, embarrassment, or poor performance.
Derivation
From the Latin 'supprimere', meaning 'to press down' (sub- 'under' + premere 'to press'). The image is of deliberately pressing a thought down out of immediate view -- which fits the aviation use: the person knows it is there but has chosen to hold it down for now.
Why Pilots Care
When students suppress confusion instead of clearing it, the underlying barrier remains and can lead to stalled progress or dropout.
Intuition Check
Suppression does not mean the person has forgotten the issue. It means the person is aware of it but is choosing to keep it out of the conversation or out of mind for now.
Example Sentence 1
The student was anxious about the upcoming stall practice, but used suppression to set the worry aside long enough to complete the preflight briefing.
Example Sentence 2
An instructor may notice suppression when a learner repeatedly changes the subject during a lesson on emergency procedures.