Repressed Memories

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

further research on how a child's brain can repress a traumatic event is provided, people today must keep an open mind that repressed memories may often be false.
There are still so many things we fail to know about the human mind, let alone its ability to recall or repress memories. Nor do we know exactly why people differ in their ability to repress or remember various types of trauma. According to Michael Anderson's experiment on the brain's ability to repress memory, he introduces a plausible theory to how a child can repress an unwanted memory. In his group of volunteers the participants were given "36 pairs of unrelated nouns, such as "ordeal-roach," "steam-train" and "jaw-gum," and asked to remember them at 5-second intervals. The subjects were tested on memorizing the word pairs until they got about three-quarters of them right -- a process that took one or two tries" (Stanford Report). The volunteers had their brains scanned as they were asked to memorize the words. In one group, the volunteers were asked to look at the first word of the pair and not recall or think of the second word. After the scanning finished, the subjects were retested on all the word pairs. Anderson found that the participants remembered fewer of the word pairs they had actively tried to not think of than the baseline pairs, "even though they had not been exposed to the baseline group for a half-hour" (Anderson). From the experiment, Anderson concluded that "people's memory gets worse the more they try to avoid thinking about it" (Anderson). The experiment also showed that not only can a unwanted memory be repressed by one's own will repeatedly, but that eventually after blocking out a memory they don't want to remember for so long, they will no longer be able to retrieve that memory, even if they wanted to. Is it possible that an individual who claims to have a repressed memory might actually not be recalling the exact memory they believe they are? And if these people did repress a memory when they were young, how can it be accurate if their memory is destined to fade? This is why there is so much controversy over the validity of repressed childhood memories: no one can figure out exactly how it is done.
Recently, there has been a rise in reported memories of childhood sexual abuse that were allegedly repressed for many years.

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

memory.
The concept and validity of recovered memory is not supported by all. False memories that are honestly believed by the individual who create them, can be developed for multiple reasons. Some believe they are created as a result of external and internal factors on the individual. Internal influences may include the internal motive to manufacture an abuse memory as a defense mechanism to hide painful experiences from childhood. It is easy for someone to create a fantasy of abuse to provide the individual with a logical explanation for the confusing experiences and feelings that have (Loftus). But their internal motive can be manipulated by external factors to make the false memory even more fabricated. The material in a false memory can be alternated and changed by memories of other past experiences, it can be borrowed from the accounts of others, or influenced by technology such as literature, movies, and television. Not only can the memory be fabricated due to internal and external forces, but the individual may deliberately lie about the experience. Although lying is always possible, even psychotherapists who question the authenticity of reports have been impressed with the honesty and intensity of the terror, rage, guilt, depression, and overall behavioral dysfunction accompanying the awareness of abuse.
Some people may have opposing views about repressed memories because some individuals may use false memories as therapeutic relief for underlying emotions regardless if they are true or not. Sigmund Freud during the late nineteenth century, debated whether or not traumatic experiences could be repressed out of conscious awareness and then to be later recalled, either spontaneously or through therapy. For example, let's say as a child you went to a family gathering at your Uncle's house. Your Uncle was never abusive, but he was a strange man whom was known for his teasing toward others. At the family gathering, you fall by the swimming pool and split your lip open. This causes an explosion of emotions in the family, and during so, your Uncle makes fun of you in front of everyone. The feelings of humiliation and the agony of your injury does not get repressed, but you recede the memory into the back of your mind like most childhood events. For some reason, you develop phobia of water. Years later, you seek therapy to deal with the phobia. As you try and resolve your emotional experiences, you gradually begin to believe that your Uncle was sexually abusive toward you. When you talk to your therapist, they focus on those "memories" of presumed abuse to find closure. Once your suspicion of your Uncle becomes completely real to you, you find that your water phobia resolves (Sigmund Freud). This example shows that a false memory can be therapeutic to an individual. "Maybe your unconscious mind created the memory of abuse because your uncle really was a cold man who enjoyed humiliating others, and, by seeing him as a child abuser, you were able to deal with the emotional fears of humiliation that motivated the water phobia" (Freud). This brings up a debatable question: are some, if not all repressed memories, an alternative method to deal with lurking childhood trauma? If so, many innocent people would be wrongly accused of inflicting the childhood trauma on the individual providing the memory. For the reason that in a real life scenario a juror or judge would not know whether a recovered memory
In repressed memory cases similar to Nadean Cool or Sigmund Freud's example, jurors and judges cannot accurately charge or prove innocence to the people being accused of committing the acts in repressed memory claims.

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

them.
In conclusion, while there are conflicting sides varying in regards to their opinions on repressed memory, both sides can agree that memory is a complex and fragile object that affects not only the individuals with the repressed memory, but their family and friends, and the people being convicted of the crime. Recovered memories, whether they are true or false, need to be treated with great caution. Individuals who allegedly have repressed memories, pour their heart and soul into believing that this repressed memory they feel is genuinely real. This memory might be their only sense of sanity. On the other hand, potentially innocent people cannot be automatically judged with suspicion of inflicting abuse on a victim just because of a simple testimony. There is no doubt that child abuse occurs at a very alarming right in young people's' lives. With that said, exploration of the human mind and the ability to repress a memory needs to be done before any one side of this crucial argument can be declared superior to the other. So as of now, the validity of repressed memory will still be controversial. But keep in mind that until further research is gathered, who knows? Maybe a memory is repressed within your mind, waiting for the right moment to be recalled.