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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…
has been a theme with Sigmund Freud and the controversy surrounding the idea continues today. But on the other hand of the debate certain researchers who have recovered memories of child abuse years after it occurred have concluded that it’s traumatizing and distressing experience”,(Spielman, et al.2014.p.273-274). Some researcher believe the concept of repressed memory is a common phenomenon and is likely to resurface among children who have suffered sexual abuse e.g. (rape) at an early childhood stage, traumatic experiences and probably stressful situations in life. “Can be locked away for decades and later recalled intact through hypnosis and guided imagery techniques. However, this contradicts again the research that was carried out which indicated that 59% of the 450 men and women who were receiving treatment for sexual abuse that had occurred before age 18 had forgotten their experiences,” (Speilman, et al .2014 .p. 274). What was the conclusion of the study?
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
tormented. Do you find some truth to it? There could be some element of truth but even that, there is no concrete evidence that prove the existence of repressed recovery memories and even the methods used to recovery still remains a big debate among many researchers. References. Brynie,F.,Sense,B.(1991-2017).Researchers and Practitioners Disagree on Repressed Memories. Retrieved from http://www.psychologytoday.com. Spielman, et at. (2014). Psychology.openstax college.Rice university 6100 main street ms-375.Houston.Taxas 77005.Retrieved from http://openstaxcollege.org.
Sometimes people need to hang on to difficult memories because without them they would feel lost. In short, it is better to feel pain than nothing at all. Memories are made up of the highest and lowest points in your life and all the little ones in between. The poet, Li Young Lee writes, “even when it’s painful, memory is sweet.” Even with the good and bad memories, the feeling of belonging overcomes the sense of being lost.
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
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
“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
Repressed memories is a topic that has been an ongoing dispute among some, however ac...
In the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind stresses the importance of memory and how memories shape a person’s identity. Stories such as “In Search of Lost Time” by Proust and a report by the President’s Council on Bioethics called “Beyond Therapy” support the claims made in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
...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.
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.
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
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.
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