5.12:REPRESSION IN SIDDHANTHAM (MARAITHAL-HIDING):மறைத்தல்

The concept of repression is an important defence mechanism in Freudian psycho-analysis[i]. It leads to many of the symptoms of the so called hysteria. The term hysteria is not widely used in psychiatry now as contontains a pejorative connotation. Literally the term hysteria means wandering uterus. It is often confused with femininity. Hence the term is by and large abandoned. In modern psychiatry practice hysterical symptoms may manifest as neurological, medical or unexplained medical symptoms.

Some symptoms manifest as higher mental function disturbances like ghost possession, fugue or amnesias. The concept of hysteria is the  key to Freudian psycho-analysis. In fact it is said jocularly that Freud fathered psycho-analysis and hysteria patients mothered it.

The concept of repression is well evident in siddhantham. The “maraithal thozhil of siva”(hiding function) is one of his five main duties. This maraithal thozhil is responsible for the blinding of the soul about its memories of the past births.

Siva has five duties they are

1.akkal(creation)ஆக்கல்

2.kathal(protection)காத்தல்

3. azhithal(destruction)அழித்தல்

4.maraithal(blinding)மறைத்தல்

5.arulal( benefaction)அருளல்

This maraithal is a function which prevents soul from becoming clear with all the knowledge and memories.  This  term has close similarity with repression in psycho-analysis.

It is common knowledge hysterical symptoms and unexplained medical symptoms are treated by non-medical persons like faith healers in india. They use a method similar to suggestion use many rituals along with to hasten their suggestibility.

Other  defense mechanism like neurotic defenses or psychotic defenses are not well established in siddhantham.

But we see evidences of the use of mature defenses like asceticism, altruism, anticipation, suppression, sublimation…etc in the sadhana stage of saivam. By consciously imposing them on the individual and later training them unconsciously as well the guru plays a role of therapist on the clients. The mature defense mechanisms are well entrenched in the sadhana aspects, which we shall see in the last chapters.

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[i] As Freud moved away from hypnosis, and towards urging his patients to remember the past in a conscious state, 'the very difficulty and laboriousness of the process led Freud to a crucial insight'.The intensity of his struggles to get his patients to recall past memories led him to conclude that 'there was some force that prevented them from becoming conscious and compelled them to remain unconscious...pushed the pathogenetic experiences in question out of consciousness. I gave the name of repression to this hypothetical process'.Freud would later call the theory of repression "the corner-stone on which the whole structure of psychoanalysis rests" ("On the History of the Psycho-Analytic Movement").Freud considered that there was 'reason to assume that there is a primal repression, a first phase of repression, which consists in the psychical (ideational) representative of the instinct being denied entrance into the conscious', as well as a 'second stage of repression, repression proper, which affects mental derivatives of the repressed representative: distinguished what he called a first stage of ' primal repression' from 'the case of repression proper ("after-pressure").'In the Primary Repression phase, 'it is highly probable that the immediate precipitating causes of primal repressions are quantitative factors such as...the earliest outbreaks of anxiety, which are of a very intense kind'.The child realizes that acting on some desires may bring anxiety. This anxiety leads to repression of the desire.The threat of punishment related to this form of anxiety, when internalized, becomes the superego, which intercedes against the desires of the id (which works on the basis of the pleasure principle). Freud speculated that 'it is perhaps the emergence of the super-ego which provides the line of demarcation between primal repression and after-pressure'Abnormal repression, or neurotic behavior occurs when repression develops under the influence of the superego, and the internalized feelings of anxiety, in ways leading to behavior that is illogical, self-destructive, or anti-social.A psychotherapist may try to ameliorate this behavior by revealing and re-introducing the repressed aspects of the patient's mental process to her or his conscious awareness - 'assuming the role of mediator and peacemaker...to lift the repression'.In favourable circumstances, ' Repression is replaced by a condemning judgement carried out along the best lines', thereby reducing anxiety over the impulses involved. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychoanalysis