According to Curt R. Bartol & Anne M. Bartol (2015), the topic of recovered or repressed memories has been an extremely controversial topic among psychologists for many years. The controversy surrounding recovered memories began around the end of the 20th century when there was a rapid increase in situations where individuals claimed that they had recovered forgotten memories from their past. The recovered memories that were reported during this time period were most frequently associated with child sexual abuse and satanic ritual abuse. The debate over this topic has forced a major division between researchers and practitioners throughout the field of psychology. This divide among psychologists is centered on opposing points of view concerning …show more content…
First, recent findings have indicated that many practitioners and clinicians lack any suspicious feelings of doubt or uncertainty when assessing the reliability of recovered memories (Patihis, Ho, Tingen, Lilienfeld, & Loftus, 2014). Many of these clinicians believe individuals can remain unaware of traumatic events that have happened to them in the past. They believe that the human mind has tucked away these traumatic events as a way to defend the psyche from events that individuals are not yet able to effectively cope with. Moreover, these clinicians believe that these memories can be unveiled through therapeutic practices. For example, Sigmund Freud is widely recognized for his attempts to uncover repressed memories through the usage of hypnosis (Bartol & Bartol, …show more content…
Many of these researchers have considered recovered memories to be pseudomemories, in fact. These researchers believe that recovered memories are most likely a result of suggestive therapeutic practices. Therefore, these researchers believe that clinicians are more responsible for the creation of these memories than the individuals reporting that they have experienced recovered memories themselves. Overall, there is not any evidence to support the notion that human memory functions in a fashion that would permit forgotten traumatic experiences to be randomly remembered years after the event (Patihis, Lilienfeld, Ho, & Loftus, 2014). Conversely, Bartol & Bartol (2015) argued that it is very possible that a portion of sexual abuse victims actually do forget the traumatic events that they have experienced and that they could eventually recover these memories years after the abuse has occurred. Despite this, Bartol & Bartol explained that there is not any credible evidence that supports the reliability of recovered memories
6. With respect to the controversy regarding reports of repressed memories of sexual abuse, statements by major psychological and psychiatric associations suggest that:
The influence of the investigators parallels the influence of therapists in cases of sexually abused children's recovered memories. Works Cited 1)Silverglate, Harvey A; Takei, Carl:Mistrial- The Capturing of Friedman's DVD sheds new light on the case.
In conclusion, memory errors can be made by the retrieval stage of memory. The false memory syndrome and coerced confessions can take place in this stage. Both of these concepts can be unconscious
Many counselors attribute their clients' woes to long-buried "repressed" memories of childhood sexual abuse. They help clients to unlock these, and rewrite their pasts. Clients sever all former ties with "families of origin" and surround themselves only with other "survivors", to prevent confirmation or denial.
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.
This would help us in understanding the reconstructive aspect of memory further. Thereupon conscious efforts could be taken to reduce false memories in individuals suffering from psychological disorders. As some disorders are usually a result of misinterpretation of events in life due to perverted inner beliefs or fears, this can be an appropriate intervention . Classically, it is true for adult reconstruction of childhood abuse and trauma which is widely studied. The research shows that these sort of memories are often distorted and self created, with no relevance to reality.
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
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.
The model explains that successful or positive experiences in life prepares a person for life challenges (Trauma Recovery, 2015). According to The California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare (2015), stored memories of unresolved conflicts or trauma in the brain tend to shape beliefs, emotions, body sensations and behavioral responses (CEBC, 2015). AIP model was created based on the symptoms that erupt from poorly adapted stored memories (CEBC). When maladaptive stored memories are not addressed, psychological symptoms may develop. Adaptive information processing model guides the therapist to use EMDR therapy to assess the disruptive memories (Trauma Recovery, 2015).
Kowalski, M.(1998, December). Applying the "two schools of thought" doctrine to the repressed memory controversy. The Journal of Legal Medicine. Retrieved September 14, 2000 from Lexis-Nexis database (Academic Universe) on the World Wide Web: http://www.lexis-nexis.com/universe
On average, when an individual loses something of important value, like an arm or a leg, he or she knows exactly what is missing in their lives, however, if one experiences loss of memory, something much greater than memory is at stake (Kiper, 2015, p. 42). Similarly, many young adults have had experience with memory loss in his or her life, however, these incidents are often times very minor especially when it comes to losing his/her car keys, jewelry, phone, and/or a purse. Unfortunately, for individuals 65 years or older who suffer from abnormal memory lapses, he or she does not have the luxury of living a normal life with minor forgetfulness like many young adults do (Mace & Rabins, 2012, p. 15). In addition, in the United States around 40% of elders over the age of 65 have some type of memory problem ("Memory Loss ," n.d.). Thus, while an
According to Sternberg (1999), memory is the extraction of past experiences for information to be used in the present. The retrieval of memory is essential in every aspect of daily life, whether it is for academics, work or social purposes. However, many often take memory for granted and assume that it can be relied on because of how realistic it appears in the mind. This form of memory is also known as flashbulb memory. (Brown and Kulik, 1977). The question of whether our memory is reliably accurate has been shown to have implications in providing precise details of past events. (The British Psychological Association, 2011). In this essay, I would put forth arguments that human memory, in fact, is not completely reliable in providing accurate depictions of our past experiences. Evidence can be seen in the following two studies that support these arguments by examining episodic memory in humans. The first study is by Loftus and Pickrell (1995) who found that memory can be modified by suggestions. The second study is by Naveh-Benjamin and Craik (1995) who found that there is a predisposition for memory to decline with increasing age.
Good and bad memories can affect our everyday lives for the rest of our lives, if they are severe. The journal article mainly talks about anxiety disorders, substance use disorders, and PTSD. All of these disorders are the result of traumatic events that have occurred in someone’s past. The article uses the example of someone who has been sexually assaulted. Someone who has been sexually assaulted may grow up to have PTSD. People with substance use disorder, may use drugs because they are trying to numb the pain of something that happened in the past. All of these disorders occur because of pathological memories. These memories can be very hard erase. The authors of the article quoted a statement that states “Given that these disorders are characterized by pathological memories, the ability to disrupt or erase these memories would offer a significant advance in treatment” (Merlo, Milton, & Everett, 2015). Many treatments have been given, such as therapy and exposure therapy. These two things have not been really successful in the past. Extinction learning is another thing that researchers have tried to erase traumatic memories. During extinction learning, most of the patients’ symptoms returned and were worse than they were before. Cue-exposure therapy was used to treat people who had substance use disorders. The