RECALL OF EARLY EXPERIENCE AND THE REPRESSIVE COPING STYLE

We investigated recall of early experience and the repressive coping style by testing hypotheses concerning restricted access to negative childhood memories and eliciting accounts of quality of parenting received. Repressors free recalled fewer negative childhood memories than nonrepressors, and the age of first negative memory for repressors was older both in free recall and cued recall. Repressors also took longer to retrieve negative childhood memories but not positive memories. Repressors' accounts of their childhoods were more likely to be characterized by paternal antipathy and indifference, and they were less likely to report an emotionally or physically close relationship with their fathers.