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False memories, repressed memories essay
False memories, repressed memories essay
The truth of repressed memories
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Written Assignment unit 4. Do repressed memories real exist? Is it possible that one’s memory can be repressed unconsciousness for decades of years after a traumatic experience and then later recovered accurately with no forgetfulness and with perfect consciousness? “Is there such a thing as repressed memory?”,(BRYNIE & SENSE, 1991-2017, p.3) And if they so exist my question then is to what advantage are they to the “victim” who have experienced such memories. Under what circumstances are repressed memories resurface? According to the article I read, there is no clear conclusion that has been attained that is strong enough to prove the existence and accuracy of repressed memory, “the idea that memories of traumatic events could be repressed …show more content…
The conclusion of the study admits the truth that children may experience sexual abuse and trauma at childhood but the issue is how true those memories are and it also leaves a hanging question on the credibility of the methodology used to access this information by the therapists since there is a high level of misinformation. What are the possible effects of having these memories resurface? There are a lot of side effects which could be associated with repressed memory resurface and these could range from the individuals who have experienced it, to the families, communities and the general public. The victims are likely to be bound with the so called recovered memories and never to experience peace in their life. This may also lead to victimising innocent people and putting them in prison. What are your personal beliefs about your mind repressing memories that may be too painful? I personally believe that all of us as people may have experienced or are experiencing hurtful moments in one way or the other which may have left scars in our memories .i don’t want to repress painful memories in my life neither do I even want to recall negative memories that happened in the past because at the end of the day it’s me who is
Primo Levi once said, " Human memory is a marvelous but fallacious instrument. The memories which lie within us are not carved in stone; not only do they tend to become erased as the years go by, but often they change, or even increase by incorporating extraneous features.." The memory of a human being is a fascinating matter, but it is not something that stays with us forever. Memories will often change or multiply with unnecessary information, but they are what define you as you.
Their memories will give them an ideal live to go towards or a life in which they want to progress from. If an individual chooses to run from the past in which they lived, it is still a component in their life which shaped them to be who it is they became, despite their efforts to repress those memories. Nevertheless, the positive memories of an individual’s past will also shape who they are. Both good and bad memories are able to give an individual a glimpse into their ideal life and a target in which they wish to strive for and memories in which they can aim to prevent from happening once
“Holding onto past memories helps humans avoid pain in the future. These experiences also help them make better decisions in the future.” (Kenny) Many people advise others to learn from the past and apply those memories so that you can effectively succeed by avoiding repeating past mistakes. On the contrary, people who get too caught up with the past are unable to move on to the future. Memories are the foundation of a person's mindset because what you make of them is entirely up to you.
In addition, some argue that the recovery of repressed memories during psychotherapy might be a result of suggestive practices employed by the therapist (Madill & Holch, 2004). This has raised questions among scholars who have suggested that the creation of false memories is plausible, especially if repressed memories have been recovered in therapy where suggestive techniques, such as hypnosis, have been used by the therapist in treatment. Ms. Jaynor stated that after experiencing symptoms of depression and low self-esteem, she decided to seek help and started therapy to treat her symptoms. Ms. Jaynor mentioned to therapist Janet Balderston that she did not recall any traumatic experiences as a child. Memories of her childhood were not clear but she remembered it as being average, neither terrible nor extremely happy. Ms. Jaynor’s therapist suggested hypnosis and dream interpretation as part of treatment since Cindy’s description of her childhood was typical of a person who suffered from
First, it is important to understand past experiences from the perspective of Helga Ryan, an inductor of hypnosis. One of her many articles describes how on a spiritual level, we hold the energy of our past experiences and memories in every cell we are made of. Because of this, we are constantly forced to relive these memories and be reintroduced to the energies associated with them (1). Although Ryan tends to focus more on her practice and its psychological benefits, she very clearly and openly describes that our past does indeed affect our future. In fact, her entire practice is based on this principle as she makes a living through helping people heal the negative feelings people experience from their past. This basis of
False memories being created is obvious through many different ways, such as eye-witness testimonies and past experiments that were conducted, however repression is an issue that has many baffled. There seems to be little evidence on the factual basis of repressed memories, and many argue that it does not exist. The evidence for repression in laboratories is slowly emerging, but not as rapidly as the evidence for false memories. It has been hard to clinically experiment with repressed memories because most memories are unable to be examined during the actual event to corroborate stories. Experimenters are discovering new ways to eliminate this barrier by creating memories within the experiment’s initial phase. This is important for examining the creation of false memories during the study phase. This research study will explore the differences between recovered memories and false memories through research and experiments. Other terms and closely related terms will be discussed, while examining any differences, in relation to repressed memories. The possibility of decoding an actual difference between recovered memories and false memories, through biological techniques. Because false memories can be created, examining these creations in a laboratory setting can shed light on facts overlooked. Exploring these issues will also help with the development of better therapeutic techniques for therapists in dealing with memories. This can lead to an easier process for patients and therapists if they must go through the legal system in relation to an uncovered memory.
Repression of memories is a controversial topic that has been argued for many years. Some support the myth and it has been imposed in cases to obtain legal convictions. Although researchers have found methods to refute the myth, individuals still believe they have repressed a memory of a traumatic event. This has recently taken place in 2007 in the Colorado vs. Marshall case. Marshall Adam Walker was accused of sexually assaulting a seventeen year-old who claimed that he made three boys pose nude for videos. He was sentenced to 24 years to life in prison. One of the boys claimed to recover a repressed memory of the event while watching a movie (“Legal cases (53), 2010”). This student’s claim made an influential impact on the perpetrator’s sentence. This reflects the power these accusations have had recently in the media and in criminal cases that involve a traumatic event such as sexual assault.
There have been several experiments done to try to prove that false memories can indeed be formed. One experiment, for example, was tried with a 14-year-old boy. The boy was told four memories, one of which was falsely constructed but similar to that of a true memory. The memories that were suggested took place when the boy was about 10 years younger. As the false memory was retold to him, he was asked to explain in detail what he had remembered from that event. Surprisingly, he claimed to remember the event, even though it was falsely created by the interviewer and his brother, and went on to explain what he remember to have happened, details and all. After collecting everything he had said about the four memories, he was told that one of the suggested memories was made-up and he was asked to guess which one it may have been. When he couldn’t decide which one it was, he was told that it was in fact the memory of getting lost in a store. He was confused and had trouble believing the truth.
Tim O'Brien's book, The Things They Carried, he reinforces this idea that memories are powerful and can affect people in many ways.n. His usage of literary devices and other things show the juxtaposition of remembering bad memories and forgetting the good
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).
From what I understood, there’s three levels of memories or the ability to have something imprinted in mind. One, conscious/consciousness. At this state, you are in contact outside the world. You are present in the present situation you’re in. You’re aware of what you’re doing. Second, pre-conscious. At this state, you are beneath the surface of awareness. You’re not fully aware of anything and everything. It’s like you’re half awake and half asleep. The last, third. Unconsciousness. At this state, your memories are repressed and pushed at the back of your mind. You can sense familiarity but couldn’t recall anything about it. this. Under psychoanalytic theory is the defense mechanism. Basically, this means the individual’s hazy contortion of perception of reality that helps them overcome their stress and anxiety. There are ten stages in this section. First, denial. This is means denying what’s already there. You can’t accept it so you deny. Second, repression, this is a memory that’s been erased from a person’s mind. This is often caused by traumatic events happened in a persons’ life. The third, rationalization. A good example of this is a white lie. You’re covering up your wrongful act. You’re making excuses. The fourth, projection. This is the placement of your feelings to another person. You’re not aware that you’re doing it. this can be
When you think of a memory you think of something happy or something good that happened. But then what is postmemory? Postmemory is really different, because I think with postmemory most people remember the things that are the most traumatic and that affect the many people. For example, in history class what we are taught and what most of us remember is when people die, not all the good stuff like when they get married or how much money they have to their name. Also, I remember how many people died at war not how many survived. Remembering all the traumatic events are probably not a good thing for some people, because then all they do is worry about it and thinks that it is going to happen to them. For example, after 9/11 and the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center everyone was so scared to fly because a terrorist could take over their plane. Or some people wouldn't go shopping at the Mega Mall in Minneapolis because that might be the terrorist's next target.
An alternative view to this debate, are from practicing therapist who argue that most recovered memories are true, and that there is still some evidence to support the concept of repressed memories (Briere & Conte, 1993). They claim that traumatic memories such as sexual abuse tend to be different from ordinary memories because they are encoded in a way that prevents them from being accessible in everyday life. In addition, they argue that certain procedures during therapy are necessary in order to bring the repressed memories back into conscious awareness, and this is deemed necessary in order to help the patient recover. Despite these claims, there is little evidence to support the validity of reported cases of recovered memories, and most of the theories are mainly based on speculation rather than scientific evidence. However, there have been some cases in which a recovered memory did corresponded to an actual event that occurred. For example, an article by Freyd (1999), reported a case in which a man called Frank Fitzpatrick recovered memories of sexual abuse from childhood. Although this
...pporting details. At the conclusion of the article, the authors share their thoughts on how it might be virtually impossible to determine when a memory is true or false. I also like their willingness to continue the investigations despite how difficult it might be to obtain concrete answers.
...Although there may be a few benefits to erasing a person’s memory, in the end it is wrong. Without their memories a person doesn’t have the chance to form their identity and without being able to learn from our mistakes, they will continue to be made. Being an adult with a blank slate isn’t right, and you can’t experience good things without also experiencing bad things.