The defense that Shelia has employed is repression. She has repressed her childhood memories that lean toward abuse from her uncle. Shelia mentions that as a child she feared her uncle except she was unable to describe why. In the majority of the cases of sexual abuse, the victim is coerced into believing that if they reveal the abuse then they will be punished. “The primary stage of repression (primal repression) occurs during childhood when the child is psychologically vulnerable but capable of anticipating consequences of actions,” (Boag, 2006). Therefore, the child represses the memory for the fear of punishment and the psychological toll can be perceived too much. In order to maintain the memory is stored in the unconscious to protect