Elizabeth Loftus states that the concept of repression in memories with traumatic cause is an idea in which many psychotherapists and psychologists accept. The theory suggests that a distressing traumatic event traps the memory in the inescapable unconscious. Here is where it may lay dormant for years, decades, or an entire lifetime. (Loftus, 1993) However, there is a chance that it may surface in the conscious mind during therapy. Many repressed memories appear over time due to the insistent suggestive probing. Because of the investigative nature of a therapist, patient’s memory risks the implantation false memories. This in turn raises the questions regarding referrals of self-help books, handbooks, or pamphlets from therapists, and may cause intense skepticism in a therapist’s professional ability. (Loftus, 1993) Therapists should consider that …show more content…
(Loftus, 1993) Although, within these statements, few endure with supportive evidence to the extent of repression occurrence. The examination of repressed childhood abuse holds no absolute answer when measuring it against commonality because there is no certainty of what characteristics exist in relation of abuse and repression. (Loftus, 1993) The center for any treatment under psychological treatment is to aid a patient in salvaging their mental life. Psychotherapists probe deliberately into the realm of conscious and unconscious thoughts. The processes by which one undergoes treatment allows the patient to become a survivor rather than a victim. (Loftus, 1993) However, repressed memories formulated to be protective arise at a substantial cost to the patient. These so-called protective memories debilitate part of a past history which may be the cause for negative self-image, low self-esteem, and various other psychological
This paper explores the need of adding Reminiscence Therapy to the National Joint Commission’s list of safety goals for long term care facilities. It links scientific research of psychologist Erik Erikson’s ‘Integrity vs. Despair’ theory as relative to the new goal. It examines research conducted by psychologist Jonathan Gerson in relation to the benefits of Reminiscence therapy in preventing feelings of despair in elderly patients showing its relationship to safety. National Awareness of Mental Illness facts are included to show the correlation of despair (that leads to depression) which in turn creates a plethora of safety risk factors that could potentially lead to significant patient injury. The discussion will also include the
Repressed vs. false memories has been a critical debate in criminal cases and daily life problems. Throughout the years many people has claimed to recover repressed memories with the simplest triggers varying from a gaze to hypnosis. However, a large number of repressed memories claimed are considered as false memories because the images were induced through hypnosis and recalled during a therapy sesion. In the film “divided memories” the main intention was to inform the audience the importance of repressed memories and how those memories can change the lives of the people involved, whether the memory was considered repressed or false. It shows different cases of women being victims of sexual abuse in childhood and how they had those memories repressed. Additionally, the film
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
Repressed memories is a topic that has been an ongoing dispute among some, however ac...
Psychological maltreatment, like many other forms of abuse can also be passed down through intergenerational transmission. It is not unlikely for parents to psychologically mistreat their children due to their own past or childhood experiences with psychologically abuse. For example, it is not uncommon during the course of an investigation of physiological maltreatment that it is discovered that the perpetrator had their own form of abuse history in the past. Often time’s people look at psychological maltreatment as a consequence resulting from some other form of abuse, mainly physical and sexual, but tend to overlook the fact that it may also occur as an individual form. Psychological maltreatment can take more than one form. During the course of researching for this paper I learned that there are three typical forms of behavior in which people follow when displaying this type of abuse against children. The three types are acting in an aggressive, rejecting, and lessening
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.
False memory occurs when an event that never happened is remembered or it differs from reality. This effect can be created using a Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) list. Each list contains 12 words associated with each other, and a critical non-presented word (CNPW) or lure word. Following the presentation of a DRM list, a recognition test shows that participants claim to confidently remember the lure word in great detail, although it was not presented. According to the spreading activation theory, the presentation of a word activates its semantic network, which includes the lure word, during encoding. Therefore, the presented word and the lure word are encoded. Consequently, the more this semantic network is activated through associated words, the greater the false encoding of the lure word. The DRM list activates the critical lure word 12 times. False memory, such as a participant misidentifying a lure word as a presented item, is a consequence
Repressed memory is the involuntary block on a memory considered to be extremely stressful and appalling in nature. It is theorized that repressed memory is a form of amnesia that is not associated with typical forgetfulness in a person. When a person experiences something extremely severe in nature, such as childhood sexual abuse for example, their mind sometimes refuses to remember that event because it is so painful to recall. In some cases events of extreme trauma, often during adulthood such as post-traumatic stress, can actually cause a reverse effect and an increase in memorability. Some even believe that it is possible to repress memories voluntarily. It has been a topic that has eluded many psychologists today and has been thoroughly researched for the past century. This paper will explore different theories and ideas on whether or not repression is true or just another pseudo-science.
Recovered memories of childhood trauma and abuse has become one of the most controversial issues within the field of psychology. Controversy surrounding repressed memory - sometimes referred to as the memory wars – reached its’ peak in the early 1990s, where there was a rise in the number of people reporting memories of childhood trauma and abuse that had allegedly been repressed for many years (Lindsay & Read, 2001). There are a number of different factors that have contributed to the dispute surrounding recovered memories. Firstly, there is an ongoing debate about whether these types of memories actually exist or whether these accusations arose as a result of suggestive therapeutic procedures. In particular, this debate focuses on two main
False memory syndrome (FMS), also known as pseudomemories or illusionary memories, is defined as memories of traumatic experiences which are false, but the person determinedly believes to be true. These memories of traumatic experiences usually are associated with childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and even in rare cases satanic ritual abuse (SRA). False memory syndrome cases involving childhood sexual abuse are most commonly related to women and children. Also related with false memory syndrome is recovered memories, which is defined as the remembrance of childhood sexual abuse of which a person had no previous awareness of before. These recovered memories often take control over a person’s personality and change their behaviors and lifestyle. It is often difficult for people with false memory syndrome to see the possibility that their recovered memories may be incorrect. False memory
Liz Murray from the stories Breaking Night, And Homeless to Harvard made things that people thought were impossible, possible. Liz Murray was a girl who was born into a life with drug addicted parents, and poverty in the 1980’s. She had a dream, a dream to be the opposite of her parents, and grow up to be successful. This dream took her on a long journey through life, with many obstacles and events that got in the way. Even though these bad things happened to her, she didn’t let them get in the way of her dream. With her determination, ambition, and intelligence, she turned her horrible life around.
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
The mistaken recollection of information or the recollection of an event that never happened is known as a false memory (Rajagopal & Montgomery, 2011). The study of false memories has been of interest to cognitive psychologists (Otagaar, Smeets & Scoboria, 2013) for many years as it implies that human memory is vulnerable to the influence of external information, it also implies that our ability to recall events may not always be accurate. One major issue that has arisen with the research on false memories is the argued validity of eyewitness testimony (Wade, Green & Nash, 2011). Eyewitness testimony is the verified report made by someone who witnessed a crime (Wade et.al., 2011). False memories can interfere with the correct recollection of criminal offences which can potentially result in inaccurate accusations of a crime (Wade et.al., 2011). Researchers have been interested in studying false memories to develop a better understanding of how false memories work, and to what extent our memories can be assumed accurate (Jou & Flores, 2013).