Deliberately suppressing a thought requires monitoring for it, and the monitoring makes the thought more available, especially under load.
Wegner's account has two processes: an intentional operating process that searches for distractions, and an ironic monitoring process that scans for the unwanted thought to check whether suppression is working. The monitor is the cheaper of the two and survives cognitive load, which is why suppression fails hardest when one is tired, rushed or stressed.
In practice
- A speaker told not to mention the lawsuit mentions the lawsuit, and does so when the questioning gets difficult.
- A team instructed not to worry about the deadline discusses little else.
- Standing
- Distinct from the energy rebound effect, which is a different mechanism sharing the word.
- Further reading
- Wikipedia
- Subject
- Psychology & Behavior
- Essay
- Theories of the mind, from the lab to the bookshop