Final answer:
The thoughts or actions used to suppress obsessions and provide relief are compulsions. Rationalization is a defense mechanism that involves justifying behaviors. Repression is a defense mechanism that blocks anxiety-causing memories from consciousness.
Step-by-step explanation:
The thoughts or actions used to suppress obsessions and provide relief are compulsions. Compulsions are repetitive behaviors or mental acts that a person feels driven to perform to reduce distress or prevent a feared event.
For example, someone with obsessive-compulsive disorder may have obsessive thoughts about germs and feel compelled to wash their hands excessively to reduce anxiety.
There are different types of defense mechanisms that people use to cope with day-to-day problems. One of these defense mechanisms is rationalization, which involves justifying behaviors by substituting acceptable reasons for less-acceptable real reasons.
For instance, telling ourselves that health risks can be reduced by smoking filtered cigarettes is a rationalization.
Rationalization is a defense mechanism that can be used to cope with anxiety-causing memories or thoughts. When an overwhelming memory or thought is repressed and removed from conscious awareness, it is an example of rationalization. Repression is a form of defense mechanism that blocks anxiety-causing memories from consciousness.