Yes, I agree with your description of how repressed emotional trauma is always there ready to erupt.

What I think people get wrong, though, is the notion that he was protecting his wife. Oh no, not at all. His unconscious mind erupted to life to protect HIM! He initially laughed at the Gi Jane joke, then saw that his wife was thoroughly unamused. His unconscious mind sent an immediate message to his threat center ( amygdala) that he was in BIG trouble, and given all of the emotional traumas in that relationship, he sprung into action.

So, I think you identified the psychological process that was going on, but his actions require an alternative explanation than the one we typically hear. The fact is, the horrible behaviors that you mention that result from repressed emotional traumas are always about protecting ourselves.