Final answer:
The unconscious ego limits anxiety primarily through the suppression of thoughts and feelings and the defense mechanism of repression, both of which operate outside conscious awareness to protect the individual from psychological distress.
Step-by-step explanation:
The unconscious ego works to limit anxiety by employing defense mechanisms that are not within conscious awareness. When faced with anxiety-inducing feelings or memories, the ego activates these unconscious protective behaviors to restore balance and reduce distress.
Two ways the unconscious ego limits anxiety are by suppressing thoughts and feelings (b) and through the mechanism of repression, an unconscious defense that blocks anxiety-causing memories from consciousness.
For example, a repressed memory might be so overwhelming that it is removed from our conscious awareness, similar to how someone might ignore a car's strange noise by turning up the radio, eventually forgetting the noise entirely. These defense mechanisms are critical in protecting the ego from the torment of anxiety.