A repressed memory is one that is retained in the subconscious mind, where one is not aware of it but where the memory can still affect conscious thoughts and behavior of that individual (skepdic.org). Many cases of repressed memory or False Memory Syndrome (FMS) pertain to incidents of childhood trauma. Memories of either child abuse, child molestation, or events of extreme shock may be pushed into some "inaccessible corner" of unconsciousness in the mind (Stanford News). These experiences may be repressed for years, or even decades, until one day they are triggered to emerge into consciousness. In the debate over the validity of repressed memories of childhood abuse or trauma, both genuine and fabricated memories seem to be recovered. Until …show more content…
Every year more than 3 million reports of child abuse are made in the United States involving more than 6 million children (childhelp.org). There is no doubt that abuse in a child's premature life will go on to affect the child negatively. A sizable number of people who enter therapy as adults were abused as children and have always remembered their abuse. Even when they have severe emotional problems, they can provide detailed descriptions of their abuse (Loftus). Unlike some abuse cases where documentation of the abuse is provided, in repressed memory cases this rarely happens. Because the repressed memory is recalled perhaps 20-30 years after the incident, no documentation can be acquired. However, just because there is no physical evidence of the abuse, that does not automatically make the repressed memory classified as false. Children often repress memories that cause harm, fear, pain, shock, or sadness. A child does not want to deal with a traumatic and confusing experience; so in defense, they block out those feelings. When they block out those feelings, they often times end up suppressing the whole entire …show more content…
The issue of repressed memory is becoming more and more urgent for the need of new information and clarification. Some state legislations are now recently starting to allow limitations on laws to be extended for victims with repressed memories (ncsl.org). Furthermore, people are now being charged based on little more than the testimony of a witness who claimed to have repressed memories of that individual committing the crime. How can this be fair to the individuals being accused in a false memory? How can they prove their innocence? More research needs to be acquired so that fabricated memory claims will be proven accurately false, or potentially genuine victims will not be assumed guilty before accurate proof is made against
With an average of more than three million instances of child abuse reported annually in the United States, social workers face an overwhelming client list of children and adults who are or have been victims of cruelty and negligence. Left untreated, the chances that these individuals may lead lives fraught with future psychological conditions are increased exponentially. Since many children and some adults are incapable of verbalizing disturbing experiences, a treatment called Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) can often provide the resolution that more traditional therapies can’t. Overall EMDR therapy is important because it helps to process distressing memories, reducing their lingering effects which allow patients to develop more adaptive coping mechanisms and lead normal lives.
I believe that memories that have been repressed and later on recovered should not be allowed in court to prosecute an alleged abuser because memories could be contaminated and even if the person truly thinks that the memory happened it could all just be a false memory. In a ted talk Elizabeth Loftus, mentioned that the memories of an individual could not be trusted completely because they could suffer a misinformation effect, where the person might hear or see something about the case that changes their existing memories and tricks them into believing that the alleged abuser is guilty, when in fact he or she is innocent. These phenomenon can occurs to anyone that is exposed to any other information about a case or any situation in general
Another important conclusion for Loftus’ research on memory is that there is no evidence of repression. Loftus believes that repression does not exist, instead they are “…false memories suggested by therapists and self-help books…”(Slater, p. 196). After researching the subject she found that people who had suffered from trauma remembered what happened obsessively. Slater remarks that there are no cases of victims of the Holocaust who forget they were ever in a concentration camp. A third important conclusion brought from Loftus’ research
What has attracted the most controversy and attention in false memory syndrome is that memories can be recovered during therapy. According to Raitt and Zeedyk (2003), “This is because there are concerns that poor therapeutic practice may ‘‘implant’’ false memories, rather than assist in the ‘‘recovery’’ of accurate ones” (p. 454). I found a case report in the article Is There A False Memory Syndrome? A Review of Three Cases written by Robert Kaplan and Vijaya Manicavasagar about a woman who was the age of 40 and had a history of anxiety and agoraphobia. She had been seeing a psychologist, but developed a fear of dying which was interfering with her daily life. Her anxiety had increased over the years resulting her in having panic attacks and agoraphobia. To overcome her problems she saw several counselors for hypnosis, but they did not work so she never stayed with them for long. Five years before appearance, she began seeing a psychologist who interpreted her anxiety symptoms as being due to childhood
How accurate and reliable is memory? "Studies on memory have shown that we often construct our memories after the fact, that we are susceptible to suggestions from others that will help us fill in the gaps in our memories" (Carroll 6). Prior to reading and discussing the issue of False Memory Syndrome, I hadn’t thought much about the topic. Maybe a person who had experienced this would be more educated. I did however find it very interesting to research and my beliefs or feelings about it now exist and will be shared at a later time. The purpose of this paper is to describe what False Memory Syndrome is and summarize some of the facts that have been gathered through previous research and my own research.
Recently there has been an extreme debate between "false" vs. "repressed" memories of abuse. A false memory is created when an event that really happened becomes confused with images produced by trying to remember an imagined event. The term false memory syndrome refers to the notion that illusionary and untrue memories of earlier child abuse can be 'recalled' by adult clients during therapy. In an increasingly polarized and emotive debate, extreme positions have been adopted, on one side by those believing that recovered memories nearly always represent actual traumatic experiences, for example, Fredrickson (1992) who argues for a 'repressed memory syndrome' and, on the other side, by those describing a growing epidemic of false memories of abuse which did not occur. (Gardner, 1992; Loftus, 1993; Ofshe & Watters, 1993; Yapko, 1994).
The issues that relate to the validity of memories of childhood abuse has raised many critical issues for the psychological community. Several issues have not been solved which points to the ideas that many areas of research must still be pursued. Some of them are as follows:
They might bury that thought in their subconscious, which would lead to the child not remembering that past, but his subconscious is still aware of it and that traumatic incident will have key effects on how he reacts to situations throughout his life. One of the key methods to deal with neuroses is by attempting to have the patient recall the incident from his or her childhood and then help them deal with their past. If this patient is then able to overcome their past, they are usually found to live a much happier life. This method thought up by Sigmund Freud made him one of the most controversial people of the 20th century. However, due to the level of success found by using Sigmund Freud's methods, we have made great strides in helping people become better. Before Sigmund Freud it was often believed that however a person acts is because that's the type of person they are without having any other factors affecting their
We all have that one memory that we’d prefer people not bring up because we want to block it from our consciousness forever. Hopefully, such memories become more vague as we grow further removed from them with time, but what about a memory that has legitimately traumatized a person? A memory that has even made its holder a victim of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)?
In the field of cognitive neuroscience a memory study usually involves a combination of behavioral tasks and a machine that permits t...
Repressed memories are memories of things so traumatic that the brain has pushed them away and the person ‘forgets’ about them for a time. They often come back later in life though. It is heavily debated about whether these repressed memories are real or accurate. There have been many cases where a person goes into therapy for another symptom, like sleep loss, and has memories uncovered of different kinds of abused earlier in life, many times as a child.
In an interview with Dr. Nuwan Jayawickreme, assistant professor of psychology, his results concluded that repressed memories do not exist. When asked the question: Do you believe that it is possible to completely repress a memory and then later on in life through therapy rediscover the memory? Dr. Jayawickreme stated that he does not believe that we have memories that we do not have access to and through therapy we can recover them. However, he did mention that when a person suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder they do not like to think about the memory because it is too painful. This does not mean the person repressed the memory and then later in life it will reappear, this means that the person can tell you about the traumatic event but will be very upset and prefer not to talk about it. Dr. Jayawickreme also stated that there is not enough scientific evidence to support the idea of repressed memories. In an interview with an older relative it was evident that the average person does not possess much knowledge on the idea of repressed memories. When asked the question: How much do you know about repressed memories? The peer paused and had to contemplate her answer, and then preceded to speculate that it means a traumatic event that
There is a basic understanding of what transpires when repression occurs; when something shocking or traumatic occurs, a person’s mind analyzes and deals with it. When the mind cannot deal with the occurrence, it pushes the memory into sub-consciousness where it cannot access it. In some instances, the repressed memory may emerge into consciousness. Many studies on the concept of repression focus on memories such as; accidents, death of loved ones, and memories of childhood cases of sexual abuse. Many of the subjects unearth memories events that occurred 20, 30 or even forty years ago. Such results raise further questions on the influence of repression on individuals. The questions look into whether repressed memories influence personality and behavior and the reality of the memories.
Language is an instrumental part of this world. It is how one can convey meaning, express oneself and create and exist in a culture. This paper explores several published articles on the topic of memory, language and how the two possibly interact in cause the false memories. False memories are the inaccuracies within recall of an event. Memory tends to be a very malleable concept that may have different effects wearing on it. For instance memory can be affected by time, emotions in a language. Language seems to be a strong contributing factor to the manipulation because memories are conveyed and thought about by one's own language. Being aware of the implications that memory can be indeed influenced my wording or gesture individuals could potentially
A repressed memory, is one that is retained in the sub conscious mind, in which