Repressed Memories - 5487 Words

â€Å"Repressed memories are a figment of the imagination†. Critically discuss this statement. The concept of repression – which is the bone of contention between those who believe in the mission of recovery therapy and those who denounce it – presumes a peculiar power of the mind (Loftus and Ketchum, 1994). The current dispute regarding the existence of repression has mainly focused on whether people remember or forget trauma. Repression, however, is a multidimensional construct, which, in addition to the memory aspect, consists of pathogenic effects on adjustment and the unconscious (Rofe ´, 2008). The challenges of memory recovery have not escaped judicial attention. Courts have increasingly found repressed memory testimony to be†¦show more content†¦Psychoanalytic theory maintains that repressed memories are preserved for an indefinite period of time, and can be recovered in their original form through hypnosis and psychoanalytic therapy (McNally, 2003). This concept has been challenged, particularly around the manner in which retrieval happens. Ferracuti, Cannoni, De-Carolis, Gonella, and Lazzari (2002) argue that retrieval through hypnosis can yield confabulations (such as memories from previous lives). Gardner (2004) argues that psychodynamic therapists can place patients at risk for developing false memories. The notion of false memory has gained some clinical validation (Kaplan and Manicavasagar, 2001), increasing skepticism regarding the authenticity of recovered repressed memories. Ganaway (1989) proposed that if memories are not authentic, they could be due t o fantasy, illusion, or hallucination-mediated screen memories, internally derived as a defense mechanism. Furthermore, memories combine a mixture of borrowed ideas, characters, myths, and accounts from exogenous sources with idiosyncratic internal beliefs. These inauthentic memories could be externally derived as a result of unintentional implantation of suggestion by a therapist. Advocates of repression used clinical cases indicating that child abuse victims may become amnesic of their trauma and that therapeutic interventions may generate a genuine recollection of their repressed trauma (Brenneis, 2000; Cheit, 1998; Kluft,Show MoreRelatedElizabeth Loftus and Repressed Memories2121 Words   |  9 PagesElizabeth F. Loftus: The Reality of Repressed Memories Alyssa Ellis Killebrew 11/9/2010 Elizabeth Loftus Brief Biography Childhood amp; Personal Recollections Elizabeth (fondly known as Beth) Fishman Loftus parents met and married while stationed at Fort Ord, during World War II. Sidney Fishman, Elizabeth’s father, was an Army doctor and her mother, Rebecca was an army base librarian. Beth was the oldest of three children. In 1944, Elizabeth Fishman was born and then her twoRead MoreRepressed Memories Essay3891 Words   |  16 PagesRepressed Memories Abstract In recent years there has been a hot debate between repressed vs. false memories. Neurobiological studies show that both suppression and recall and the creation of false memories are possible. This paper evaluates the evidence but forth by both sides of the controversy and concludes that both are feasible and separate phenomenon, which occur at significant rates in our society. Further biological research on the effect of psychological trauma on the neurochemistryRead MoreRepressed Memories : Truth Or Fiction1129 Words   |  5 Pages Repressed Memories: Truth or Fiction Talia E. Shuman The University of Tampa â€Æ' Repressed Memories: Truth or Fiction When people think of memory repression, people think of child sexual abuse scandals, parental abuse, traumatic injuries, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Memory repression is thought by some to be a defense mechanism of the brain in the event of extreme distress. The memory of the event is pushed back into the corners of the unconscious, and is only recovered after a longRead MoreRepressed Memories And Other Memories Essay1374 Words   |  6 PagesFrom what I remember that night it had been like any other. Repressed memories and such. I had been mom’s helper in the kitchen and dad’s little grease monkey in the garage. It was nice being the happy family, everyone would imagine us to be. Mom and dad were paid well and known around town for being the kind hearted Argo’s with the perfect life. No one would have had a second thought about anyone wanting us dead for any sort of reason. I was 5 when all hell had broken loose in my house and my lifeRead MoreThe Dem on Lover By Elizabeth Bowen894 Words   |  4 Pagesone woman s introspective psychological journey to face suppressed memories of her past. Externally, Mrs. Drover is described as a â€Å"prosaic† woman whose normal expression was that of â€Å"controlled worry, but of assent† . She seems like a typical ordinary middle-aged woman who is the mother of multiple children, married and is currently living in the country. Internally, Mrs. Drover was a woman suffering and scarred by a repressed emotional trauma. Mrs. Drover’s journey into her old house representsRead MoreThe First Golden Age Of Television1278 Words   |  6 Pagesemotional advances from anyone. Later during the show, Bezzerides goes undercover at a sex party to find evidence towards who killed the corrupt city official. During the process of being groomed to enter, she is forced to ingest MDMA. A repressed childhood memory surfaces during advances by an older male. It is a bearded face of a man, wh o stayed at her father’s spiritual retreat when she was a child. This man called her pretty and lured in into his VW van to proceed to sexually abused her for twoRead MoreEssay on Character Analysis: Stew1979 Words   |  8 Pagesdislike. â€Å"Tiny, Smiling Daddy† is told in the third person limited point of view through the father, Stew. This point of view is vital to our understanding of events, in that the progression of the story evolves only through Stew’s recollection of memories giving a very limited perspective. Using this style of writing puts a lens, so to speak, on how the reader is going to read the story, there are no outside details from other characters that Gaitskill gives us to help us understand, it is only throughRead MoreThe Accuracy And Validity Of Autobiographical Memory Among Individuals Who Have Experienced Childhood Sexual Abuse ( Csa )1478 Words   |  6 PagesThe accuracy and validity of autobiographical memory among individuals who have experienced childhood sexual abuse (CSA) has been questioned since these experiences are highly emotional and traumatic. Some individuals may believe that recovered memories through the use of therapy or spontaneously may be recalled in an e ffort to gain money in a court case or seek revenge against an individual. In order to examine whether this statement of a disbelief in the accounts of individual’s experience withRead MoreCognitive Psychology False Memory Essay2269 Words   |  10 PagesRunning head: False Memory Theoretical and Applied/Practical Perspective of False Memory The human memory is subject to a multitude of errors, including source misattributions, distortion and creation of false memories. In order to do justice to this paper one must first determine what is â€Å"False memory†? False memory is memory for an event that did not occur or distorted memory of actual events (Gleaves, Smith, Butler, Spiegel, 2004). This type of memory has been an area ofRead MoreEssay on Decay Theory in STM and Theory of Duration in STM820 Words   |  4 Pagesstate as when they first learnt the information. Godwin (1969) investigated the effect of alcohol on recall and found individuals were better able to recall information learnt when drunk if they were drunk. Other drugs seem to affect memory similarly. Bower (1981) however found that the same principle applied to mood did not have such a convincing effect but only a tendency to produce State-Dependent Retrieval.SPANSTYLE=COLOR:RED 3. Thirdly, recall may be by the