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| '''Repressed memory''' is |
'''Repressed memory''' is an significant ], usually of a ] nature, that has become unavailable for recall. The term is somewhat of a ] because it is often used to describe memories that have been ] from awareness as well as those pushed from awareness (]) without dissociation. Although much debate exists in the media and public arena on the topic of repressed memories, studies consistently demonstrate that amnesia can occur in survivors of trauma.<ref name="widom1"> {{cite journal | last = Widom | first = Cathy Spatz | coauthors = Shepard, Robin L. | year = 1996 | month = December | title = Accuracy of adult recollections of childhood victimization : Part 1. Childhood physical abuse | journal = Psychological Assessment | volume = 8 | issue = 4 | pages = 412-21 | publisher = American Psychological Association | location = Washington, DC, US | issn = 1040-3590 | id = EJ542113 | url = http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=EJ542113&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=EJ542113 | accessdate = 2007-12-18}} </ref><ref ="widom2"> {{cite journal | last = Widom | first = Cathy Spatz | coauthors = Morris, Suzanne | year = 1997 | month = March | title = Accuracy of Adult Recollections of Childhood Victimization: Part 2. Childhood Sexual Abuse. | journal = Psychological Assessment | volume = 9 | issue = 1 | pages = 34-46 | publisher = American Psychological Association | location = Washington, DC, US | issn = 1040-3590 | id = EJ545434 | url = http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/Home.portal?_nfpb=true&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=EJ545434&searchtype=keyword&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&_pageLabel=RecordDetails&objectId=0900019b801126a6&accno=EJ545434&_nfls=false | accessdate = 2007-12-18}}</ref><ref name="sheflin"> <!-- This study showed 38% based upon criminal records http://books.google.com/books?id=qBSuIMgJLNYC&pg=PA147&vq=sheflin&dq=sheflin+brown+1996+amnesia+%22Repressed+memory+or+dissociative%22&lr=&sig=zCjaGFdaY_qCcNmZtJwFsQRd4YY -->{{cite journal | last = Sheflin | first = Alan W | coauthors = Brown, Daniel |date=1996 | title = Repressed Memory or Dissociative Amnesia: What the Science Says. | journal = Journal of Psychiatry & Law | volume = 24 | issue = Summer | pages = 143-88 | issn = 0093-1853 | accessdate = 2007-12-18 }} </ref><ref name="herman119">{{cite book|title=Trauma and recovery: The aftermath of violence from domestic abuse to political terror |first=Judith Lewis |last=Herman |year=1997| publisher=Basic Books |pages= p119-122 |isbn= 0465087302}}</ref><ref name="USDVA">{{cite web |url=http://www.ncptsd.va.gov/ncmain/ncdocs/fact_shts/fs_complex_ptsd.html?opm=1&rr=rr89&srt=d&echorr=true |title=Complex PTSD |author=Julia M. Whealin, Ph.D. and Laurie Slone, Ph.D. |publisher=United States Department of Veteran Affairs |work=National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder}}</ref> Repressed memories may sometimes be recovered years or decades after the event, most often spontaneously, triggered by a particular smell, taste, or other identifier related to the lost memory, or via suggestion during ].<ref name="dissoc-9-4">{{cite journal|title=Memory recovery of childhood sexual abuse |last=Albach |first=Francine |coauthors=Peter Paul Moormann, | ||
| Bob Bermond |journal=Dissociation |volume=Vol. 9, No. 4, p. 261-273 |url=http://hdl.handle.net/1794/1774 |date=Dec-1996 |accessdate=2008-01-03 |issn=0896-2863}}</ref> | Bob Bermond |journal=Dissociation |volume=Vol. 9, No. 4, p. 261-273 |url=http://hdl.handle.net/1794/1774 |date=Dec-1996 |accessdate=2008-01-03 |issn=0896-2863}}</ref> | ||
| ==History== | == History == | ||
| ⚫ | The concept was originated by ] in his 1896 essay ''Zur Ätiologie der Hysterie'' ("On the etiology of hysteria"), however Freud abandoned his theory between 1897 and 1905, replacing it during 1920-1923 with his impulse-based concept of '']'', '']'', and '']''. ] was the first to suggest an active, conscious thought management method in the second essay of his ] as a necessary fundament of efficiency, responsibility, and maturity. | ||
| ⚫ | == Research == | ||
| ⚫ | The concept was originated by ] in his 1896 essay ''Zur Ätiologie der Hysterie'' ("On the etiology of hysteria"), however Freud |
||
| ⚫ | Repressed memory syndrome, the clinical entity used to describe repressed memories, is often compared to ], and some sources compare the two as equivalent.<ref name=GL>{{cite journal | url = http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/p991137.html | title = Ground lost: The false memory/recovered memory therapy debate | first = A | last = Scheflin | journal = Psychiatric Times | volume = 16 | issue = 11 | date = 1999-11-01 }}</ref><ref name=LeadershipCouncil>{{cite web | url = http://www.leadershipcouncil.org/1/tm/pr.html | title = Press Release by the Leadership Council: Recovered Memories: True or False? | last = Fink | first = P | accessdate = 2008-02-06 | year = 2005 | publisher = The Leadership Council}}</ref> Some research indicates that memories of ] and other traumatic incidents can be forgotten and that any study that has looked for evidence of traumatic or dissociative amnesia after child sexual abuse has found it.<ref name=JournalClinPsy>{{cite journal |author=Williams LM |title=Recall of childhood trauma: a prospective study of women's memories of child sexual abuse |journal=J Consult Clin Psychol |volume=62 |issue=6 |pages=1167–76 |year=1994 |pmid=7860814 |doi=}}</ref><ref name = RMP>{{cite web| url = http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Taubman_Center/Recovmem/ | title = The Archive: 101 Corroborated Cases of Recovered Memory | publisher = The Recovered Memory Project | accessdate = 2008-02-07 | date = 2005-07-01 | last = Cheit | first = RE }}</ref><ref name = LCRT>{{cite web | url = http://www.leadershipcouncil.org/1/tm/tm.html | title = Research on the Effect of Trauma on Memory | publisher = The Leadership Council | year = 2005 | accessdate = 2008-02-07 }}</ref><ref name=Corrob>{{cite journal | author = Bowman, E.S. | year = 1996 | title = Delayed memories of child abuse: Part I: An overview of research findings on forgetting, remembering, and corroborating trauma | journal = Dissociation | volume = 9 | pages = 221-231}}; lay summary {{cite web |title=Corroboration of child abuse memories | url = http://mentalhealth.about.com/cs/abuse/a/cooroborate.htm |accessdate= 2008-01-06 | date = 2006-02-20 | publisher = ]}}</ref> Evidence of the spontaneous recovery of traumatic memories has been shown,<ref name=chu>{{cite journal |last=Chu |first=J |coauthors= Frey L, Ganzel B, Matthews J |year=1999 |month=May |title=Memories of childhood abuse: dissociation, amnesia, and corroboration. |journal=American Journal of Psychiatry |volume=156 |issue=5 |pages=749-55 |pmid = 10327909|accessdate= 2008-01-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last= Duggal | first= S. |coauthors= Sroufe, L. A. |year= 1998 |title= Recovered memory of childhood sexual trauma: A documented case from a longitudinal study. |journal= Journal of Traumatic Stress |volume= 11 |issue= 2 |pages= 301-321 |year = 1998 | month = April |url= http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/klu/jots/1998/00000011/00000002/00423218 |accessdate= 2007-12-31}}</ref><ref name=Freyd>{{cite book |last= Freyd |first= Jennifer J. |title= Betrayal Trauma - The Logic of Forgetting Childhood Abuse |year= 1996 |publisher= Harvard University Press |location= Cambridge, MA |isbn= 0-674-06805-x }}</ref> and recovered memories of traumatic childhood abuse have been corroborated.<ref name=Skeptics>{{cite journal |last= Cheit |first= Ross E. |year= 1998 |month= |title= Consider This, Skeptics of Recovered Memory |journal= ETHICS & BEHAVIOR |volume= 8 |issue= 2 |pages= 141 - 160 |doi:10.1207/s15327019eb0802_4 |url= http://www.leaonline.com/doi/abs/10.1207/s15327019eb0802_4?journalCode=eb |accessdate= 2007-12-25 }}</ref><ref name=RecalledCSA>{{cite journal |last=Corwin |first=D. |coauthors=Olafson E. |year=1997 |title=Videotaped Discovery of a Reportedly Unrecallable Memory of Child Sexual Abuse: Comparison with a Childhood Interview Videotaped 11 Years Before |journal=Child Maltreatment |volume=2 |issue=2 |pages=91-112 |url=http://cmx.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/2/2/91 |accessdate= 2008-01-09 | doi= 10.1177/1077559597002002001 }}</ref><ref></ref><ref name=Corrob/><ref name=JimHopper>{{cite article |url=http://www.jimhopper.com/memory | title = Recovered Memories of Sexual Abuse Scientific Research & Scholarly Resources | last = Hopper | first = Jim | accessdate =2007-12-15}}</ref> Although the science of repressed memory is limited, | ||
| ⚫ | studies suggest that memories of trauma that are forgotten and later recalled have a similar accuracy rate as trauma memories that had not been forgotten.<ref name=GL/> It has been speculated that repression may be one method used by individuals to cope with traumatic memories, by pushing them out of awareness<ref name=LCRT/> (perhaps as an adaptation via ]) to allow a child to maintain ] to a person on whom they are dependent for survival.<ref name=Freyd2>{{cite journal |last=Freyd |first=J. |year=1994 |title=Betrayal trauma: traumatic amnesia as an adaptive response to childhood abuse. |journal= Ethics & Behavior |volume=4 |issue=4 |pages=307-330 |url=http://www.questia.com/read/95814385 |accessdate= 2008-01-13}}</ref> Researchers have proposed that repression can operate on a social level as well.<ref name=Freyd3>{{cite journal |last= Freyd |first= Jennifer J. |year= 2007 |title= Archiving Dissociation as a Precaution Against Dissociating Dissociation |journal= Journal of Trauma & Dissociation |volume= 8 |issue= 3 |url= http://dynamic.uoregon.edu/~jjf/articles/freyd2007.pdf |accessdate= 2007-12-29}}</ref> | ||
| ⚫ | The existence of repressed memories has not been completely accepted by mainstream psychology,<ref name=McNally2004>{{cite journal | author = McNally, R.J. | year = 2004 | title = The Science and Folklore of Traumatic Amnesia | journal = Clinical Psychology Science and Practice | volume = 11 | issue = 1 | pages = 29-33 | doi = 10.1093/clipsy.bph056}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=McNally RJ |title=Dispelling confusion about traumatic dissociative amnesia |journal=Mayo Clin. Proc. |volume=82 |issue=9 |pages=1083–90 |year=2007 |pmid=17803876 |doi=}}</ref><ref name="pmid15279316">{{cite journal |author=McNally RJ |title=Is traumatic amnesia nothing but psychiatric folklore? |journal=Cogn Behav Ther |volume=33 |issue=2 |pages=97–101; discussion 102–4, 109–11 |year=2004 |pmid=15279316 |doi=}}</ref><ref name=Debunking>{{cite journal |author=McNally RJ |title=Debunking myths about trauma and memory |journal=Can J Psychiatry |volume=50 |issue=13 |pages=817–22 |year=2005 |pmid=16483114 |doi=}}</ref> nor unequivocally proven to exist, and many experts in the field of human memory feel that no credible scientific support exists for the notions of repressed/recovered memories.<ref name=amicus>Amicus Curiae brief in {{cite court |litigants=Taus v. Loftus |vol=|reporter= |opinion= |pinpoint= |court=Superme Court of California | date = 2006-02-21 |url=}}</ref> The theory of repressed memories is supported by many ], while many research psychologists believe that there is little support for such a theory.<ref name=APA-memories>{{cite web | publisher = ] | date = 1995-08-01 | title = Questions and Answers about Memories of Childhood Abuse | url = http://www.apa.org/topics/memories.html | accessdate = 2008-02-07 }}</ref> | ||
| ⚫ | ==Research== | ||
| ⚫ | Repressed memory syndrome, the clinical entity used to describe repressed memories, is often compared to ], and some sources compare the two as equivalent.<ref name |
||
| ⚫ | studies suggest that memories of trauma that are forgotten and later recalled have a similar accuracy rate as trauma memories that had not been forgotten. |
||
| ⚫ | == Legal issues == | ||
| ⚫ | The existence of repressed memories has not been accepted by mainstream psychology<ref name=McNally2004>{{cite journal | author = McNally, R.J. | year = 2004 | title = The Science and Folklore of Traumatic Amnesia | journal = Clinical Psychology Science and Practice | volume = 11 | issue = 1 | pages = 29-33 | doi = 10.1093/clipsy.bph056}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=McNally RJ |title=Dispelling confusion about traumatic dissociative amnesia |journal=Mayo Clin. Proc. |volume=82 |issue=9 |pages=1083–90 |year=2007 |pmid=17803876 |doi=}}</ref><ref name="pmid15279316">{{cite journal |author=McNally RJ |title=Is traumatic amnesia nothing but psychiatric folklore? |journal=Cogn Behav Ther |volume=33 |issue=2 |pages=97–101; discussion 102–4, 109–11 |year=2004 |pmid=15279316 |doi=}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=McNally RJ |title=Debunking myths about trauma and memory |journal=Can J Psychiatry |volume=50 |issue=13 |pages=817–22 |year=2005 |pmid=16483114 |doi=}}</ref> |
||
| ⚫ | <!-- Some criminal cases have been based on a witness' testimony of recovered repressed memories, often of alleged childhood sexual abuse. In some jurisdictions, the ] for child abuse cases has been extended to accommodate the phenomena of repressed memories as well as other factors. The repressed memory concept came into wider public awareness in the 1980s and 1990s followed by a reduction of public attention after a series of scandals, lawsuits, and license revocations.<ref name=Robbins>Robbins Susan P., The Social and Cultural Context of Satanic Ritual Abuse Allegations, published in Institute for Psychological Therapies magazine, vol 10 1998.</ref> --> | ||
| ⚫ | In a 1996 ruling, a US District Court allowed repressed memories entered into evidence in court cases.<ref name=USCourt1996>923 Federal Supplement 286 (D. Mass. 1996); CIVIL ACTION NO.: 92-12139-EFH MEMORANDUM AND ORDER; May 8, 1996</ref> Jennifer Freyd writes that Ross Cheit’s case of suddenly remembered sexual abuse is one of the most well-documented cases available for the public to see. Cheit prevailed in two lawsuits, located five additional victims and tape-recorded a confession.<ref name=Freyd/> | ||
| ⚫ | ==Legal issues== | ||
| ⚫ | <!-- Some criminal cases have been based on a witness' testimony of recovered repressed memories, often of alleged childhood sexual abuse. In some jurisdictions, the ] for child abuse cases has been extended to accommodate the phenomena of repressed memories as well as other factors. The repressed memory concept came into wider public awareness in the 1980s and 1990s followed by a reduction of public attention after a series of scandals, lawsuits, and license revocations.<ref>Robbins Susan P.,The Social and Cultural Context of Satanic Ritual Abuse Allegations, published in Institute for Psychological Therapies magazine, vol 10 1998.</ref> --> | ||
| ⚫ | == Recovered memory therapy == | ||
| ⚫ | In a 1996 ruling, a US District Court allowed repressed memories |
||
| ⚫ | ==Recovered memory therapy== | ||
| {{main|Recovered memory therapy}} | {{main|Recovered memory therapy}} | ||
| Recovered memory therapy (RMT) is a term coined by affiliates of the ]<ref name="whitfield56">{{cite book|title=Misinformation Concerning Child Sexual Abuse and Adult Survivors |last= Whitfield |first=Charles L. |coauthors=Joyanna L. Silberg, Paul Jay Fink |pages=p56 |publisher=Haworth Press |year=2001 |isbn= 0789019019}}</ref><ref name="salter">{{cite news | first = Stephanie | last = Salter | title = Feminist Treason and Intellectual Fascism | url = http://www.mindcontrolforums.com/mindnet/mn122.htm | work = ] |date=1993-04-07 | accessdate = 2007-12-15 | format = reprint}} </ref><ref name="underwager1">{{cite book | last = Underwager | first = Ralph | authorlink = Ralph Underwager | coauthors = Hollida Wakefield | title = Return of the Furies: An Investigation into Recovered Memory Therapy | year = 1994 | Month = October | publisher = Open Court Pub Co | isbn = 978-0812692716 | pages = 360}} |
Recovered memory therapy (RMT) is a term coined by affiliates of the ]<ref name="whitfield56">{{cite book|title=Misinformation Concerning Child Sexual Abuse and Adult Survivors |last= Whitfield |first=Charles L. |coauthors=Joyanna L. Silberg, Paul Jay Fink |pages=p56 |publisher=Haworth Press |year=2001 |isbn= 0789019019}}</ref><ref name="salter">{{cite news | first = Stephanie | last = Salter | title = Feminist Treason and Intellectual Fascism | url = http://www.mindcontrolforums.com/mindnet/mn122.htm | work = ] |date=1993-04-07 | accessdate = 2007-12-15 | format = reprint}} </ref><ref name="underwager1">{{cite book | last = Underwager | first = Ralph | authorlink = Ralph Underwager | coauthors = Hollida Wakefield | title = Return of the Furies: An Investigation into Recovered Memory Therapy | year = 1994 | Month = October | publisher = Open Court Pub Co | isbn = 978-0812692716 | pages = 360}}</ref> referring to what they described as a range of ] methods based on recalling memories of abuse that had previously been forgotten by the patient.<ref name="lief">{{cite journal | last = Lief | first = Harold I | year = 1999 | month = November | title = Patients Versus Therapists: Legal Actions Over Recovered Memory Therapy | journal = Psychiatric Times | volume = XVI | issue = 11 | url = http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/p991136.html}}</ref> The term is not listed in ] or used by mainstream ].<ref name="whitfield56"/> The idea that therapy can create false memories has also not been proven<ref name=Memory&Law>{{cite book |author=Hammond, D. Corydon; Brown, Daniel P.; Scheflin, Alan W. |title=Memory, trauma treatment, and the law |publisher=W.W. Norton |location=New York |year=1998 |pages= |isbn=0-393-70254-5 |oclc= |doi=}}</ref> though there is evidence that the use of extreme therapy techniques can create ].<ref name="Brandon">{{cite journal |author=Brandon S, Boakes J, Glaser D, Green R |title=Recovered memories of childhood sexual abuse. Implications for clinical practice |journal=Br J Psychiatry |volume=172 |issue= |pages=296–307 |year=1998 |pmid=9722329 |doi=}}</ref> Even when patients who decide their recovered memories are false and retract their claims, they can suffer ] due to the trauma of illusory memories.<ref name=Lambert>{{cite web | first = K | last = Lambert | coauthors = Lilienfeld SO | url = http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa006&articleID=4338D296-E7F2-99DF-3D7F5370B4FB5D10 | publisher = ] | title = Brain Stains | date = 2007-10-01 | accessdate = 2008-01-25}}</ref> The number of reported retractions is small when compared to the large number of actual child sexual abuse cases.<ref name="Whitfield">{{cite book | last = Whitfield M.D. | first = Charles L.| title = Memory and Abuse - Remembering and Healing the Effects of Trauma | publisher = Health Communications, Inc | date = 1995 | location = Deerfield Beach, FL |pages = 375 | url =http://books.google.com/books?id=z1LW3u1e04YC&dq=whitfield+memory+and+abuse&pg=PP1&ots=Q_GZ1Yy1iE&sig=ivzKYWTrLhVa3HODty7kwIuJp0Y&hl=en&prev=http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=Whitfield+Memory+and+Abuse&sa=X&oi=print&ct=title&cad=one-book-with-thumbnail | isbn = 1-55874-320-0}}</ref> Some have suggested that a child may retract their story of abuse due to guilt, a feeling of obligation to protect their family or may be reacting to the familial stress brought on by their allegations.<ref name="Summit">{{cite journal |last= Summit |first= R. |year= 1983 |month= |title= The child sexual abuse accommodation syndrome. |journal= Child Abuse & Neglect |volume=7 |issue= |pages=177-193}}</ref> | ||
| ==Repressed memories in popular culture== | ==Repressed memories in popular culture== | ||
| {{trivia}}{{unreferenced|date=March 2008}} | {{trivia}} | ||
| {{unreferenced|Section|date=March 2008}} | |||
| Repressed memories were a frequent topic among talk-show hosts in the 1990s and have frequently been portrayed in popular entertainment, especially as a ]. | Repressed memories were a frequent topic among talk-show hosts in the 1990s and have frequently been portrayed in popular entertainment, especially as a ]. | ||
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| ==See also== | ==See also== | ||
| ⚫ | *] | ||
| *] | *] | ||
| *] | *] | ||
| ⚫ | *] | ||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
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| ==External links== | ==External links== | ||
| * {{dmoz|Society/Issues/Health/Mental_Health/Memory_Controversies |
* {{dmoz|Society/Issues/Health/Mental_Health/Memory_Controversies}} | ||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
| ] | |||
| ] | ] | ||
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| ] | ] | ||
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Repressed memory is an significant memory, usually of a traumatic nature, that has become unavailable for recall. The term is somewhat of a misnomer because it is often used to describe memories that have been dissociated from awareness as well as those pushed from awareness (repressed) without dissociation. Although much debate exists in the media and public arena on the topic of repressed memories, studies consistently demonstrate that amnesia can occur in survivors of trauma. Repressed memories may sometimes be recovered years or decades after the event, most often spontaneously, triggered by a particular smell, taste, or other identifier related to the lost memory, or via suggestion during psychotherapy.
History
The concept was originated by Sigmund Freud in his 1896 essay Zur Ätiologie der Hysterie ("On the etiology of hysteria"), however Freud abandoned his theory between 1897 and 1905, replacing it during 1920-1923 with his impulse-based concept of Id, Super-ego, and Ego. Friedrich Nietzsche was the first to suggest an active, conscious thought management method in the second essay of his On the Genealogy of Morals as a necessary fundament of efficiency, responsibility, and maturity.
Research
Repressed memory syndrome, the clinical entity used to describe repressed memories, is often compared to psychogenic amnesia, and some sources compare the two as equivalent. Some research indicates that memories of child sexual abuse and other traumatic incidents can be forgotten and that any study that has looked for evidence of traumatic or dissociative amnesia after child sexual abuse has found it. Evidence of the spontaneous recovery of traumatic memories has been shown, and recovered memories of traumatic childhood abuse have been corroborated. Although the science of repressed memory is limited, studies suggest that memories of trauma that are forgotten and later recalled have a similar accuracy rate as trauma memories that had not been forgotten. It has been speculated that repression may be one method used by individuals to cope with traumatic memories, by pushing them out of awareness (perhaps as an adaptation via psychogenic amnesia) to allow a child to maintain attachment to a person on whom they are dependent for survival. Researchers have proposed that repression can operate on a social level as well.
The existence of repressed memories has not been completely accepted by mainstream psychology, nor unequivocally proven to exist, and many experts in the field of human memory feel that no credible scientific support exists for the notions of repressed/recovered memories. The theory of repressed memories is supported by many clinical psychologists, while many research psychologists believe that there is little support for such a theory.
Legal issues
In a 1996 ruling, a US District Court allowed repressed memories entered into evidence in court cases. Jennifer Freyd writes that Ross Cheit’s case of suddenly remembered sexual abuse is one of the most well-documented cases available for the public to see. Cheit prevailed in two lawsuits, located five additional victims and tape-recorded a confession.
Recovered memory therapy
Main article: Recovered memory therapyRecovered memory therapy (RMT) is a term coined by affiliates of the False Memory Syndrome Foundation referring to what they described as a range of psychotherapy methods based on recalling memories of abuse that had previously been forgotten by the patient. The term is not listed in DSM-IV or used by mainstream formal psychotherapy modality. The idea that therapy can create false memories has also not been proven though there is evidence that the use of extreme therapy techniques can create false memories. Even when patients who decide their recovered memories are false and retract their claims, they can suffer posttraumatic stress disorder due to the trauma of illusory memories. The number of reported retractions is small when compared to the large number of actual child sexual abuse cases. Some have suggested that a child may retract their story of abuse due to guilt, a feeling of obligation to protect their family or may be reacting to the familial stress brought on by their allegations.
Repressed memories in popular culture
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Repressed memories were a frequent topic among talk-show hosts in the 1990s and have frequently been portrayed in popular entertainment, especially as a plot device.
- The film Tommy: the title character is coerced into forgetting that he has witnessed the killing of his father.
- The film The Machinist: Christian Bale's character represses the memory of killing a child in a hit-and-run car accident.
- The film Nurse Betty: Betty also witnesses a murder and as a result of the trauma forgets her entire reality for a time, deluded into being a character in her favourite soap opera.
- The film The Butterfly Effect: Evan has blackouts throughout his childhood when in traumatic situations. As a college student, he attempts to recover these memories and finds that he can change the past.
- The film Spellbound: a horrible childhood memory has been suppressed and causes nightmares for years afterwards.
- The film Mysterious Skin: two teenage boys repress memories of sexual abuse by their Little League coach.
- The video game Final Fantasy VII: the protagonist Cloud Strife carries false memories of his service in SOLDIER, the real memories suppressed after his Mako treatment.
- The anime/manga Elfen Lied: one of the main characters, Kouta, suppressed the majority of his childhood after seeing his little sister being murdered by the protagonist Lucy.
- The anime/manga Fruits Basket: the supporting character, Hatori Sohma had to suppress the memories of his love, Kana, after Akito Sohma blinded Hatori's left eye by throwing a vase at him and blamed Hatori's injury on Kana. The guilt from the accident drove her into madness and Hatori was forced to suppress her memories so that she could once again smile. Hatori has also had to suppress the memories of Yuki Sohma's friends, and Momiji Sohma's mother.
- The anime/manga His and Her Circumstances: When Arima visits his girlfriend, Yukino's house for the first time he realizes he doesn't have a deep bond with his adoptive parents and is confronted with repressed memories of abuse and abandonment from his real parents.
- The novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower: Charlie is confronted with repressed memories of being sexually abused by his aunt in the end of the novel after being upset and confused by sexual contact with his crush/friend, Sam.
- The protagonist of the video game Silent Hill 2, James Sunderland, repressed his memory of murdering his wife prior to the game's events.
- In the movie Total Recall, set in the year 2084, a man travels to Mars for a virtual vacation that implants memories of the trip in his mind, to recall those memories in exact detail. During his trip he recalls the truth about himself.
See also
References
- Widom, Cathy Spatz (1996). "Accuracy of adult recollections of childhood victimization : Part 1. Childhood physical abuse". Psychological Assessment. 8 (4). Washington, DC, US: American Psychological Association: 412–21. ISSN 1040-3590. EJ542113. Retrieved 2007-12-18.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help); Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - Widom, Cathy Spatz (1997). "Accuracy of Adult Recollections of Childhood Victimization: Part 2. Childhood Sexual Abuse". Psychological Assessment. 9 (1). Washington, DC, US: American Psychological Association: 34–46. ISSN 1040-3590. EJ545434. Retrieved 2007-12-18.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help); Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - Sheflin, Alan W (1996). "Repressed Memory or Dissociative Amnesia: What the Science Says". Journal of Psychiatry & Law. 24 (Summer): 143–88. ISSN 0093-1853.
{{cite journal}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - Herman, Judith Lewis (1997). Trauma and recovery: The aftermath of violence from domestic abuse to political terror. Basic Books. pp. p119-122. ISBN 0465087302.
{{cite book}}:|pages=has extra text (help) - Julia M. Whealin, Ph.D. and Laurie Slone, Ph.D. "Complex PTSD". National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. United States Department of Veteran Affairs.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Albach, Francine (Dec-1996). "Memory recovery of childhood sexual abuse". Dissociation. Vol. 9, No. 4, p. 261-273. ISSN 0896-2863. Retrieved 2008-01-03.
{{cite journal}}:|volume=has extra text (help); Check date values in:|date=(help); Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help); line feed character in|coauthors=at position 22 (help) - ^ Scheflin, A (1999-11-01). "Ground lost: The false memory/recovered memory therapy debate". Psychiatric Times. 16 (11).
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{{cite journal}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help); Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - Duggal, S. (1998). "Recovered memory of childhood sexual trauma: A documented case from a longitudinal study". Journal of Traumatic Stress. 11 (2): 301–321. Retrieved 2007-12-31.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help); Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - ^ Freyd, Jennifer J. (1996). Betrayal Trauma - The Logic of Forgetting Childhood Abuse. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-06805-x.
{{cite book}}: Check|isbn=value: invalid character (help) - Cheit, Ross E. (1998). "Consider This, Skeptics of Recovered Memory". ETHICS & BEHAVIOR. 8 (2): 141–160. Retrieved 2007-12-25.
{{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|month=(help); Text "doi:10.1207/s15327019eb0802_4" ignored (help) - Corwin, D. (1997). "Videotaped Discovery of a Reportedly Unrecallable Memory of Child Sexual Abuse: Comparison with a Childhood Interview Videotaped 11 Years Before". Child Maltreatment. 2 (2): 91–112. doi:10.1177/1077559597002002001. Retrieved 2008-01-09.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - Leadership Council on Child Abuse & Interpersonal Violence: Summary of Research Examining the Prevalence of Full or Partial Dissociative Amnesia for Traumatic Events
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- ^ Whitfield, Charles L. (2001). Misinformation Concerning Child Sexual Abuse and Adult Survivors. Haworth Press. pp. p56. ISBN 0789019019.
{{cite book}}:|pages=has extra text (help); Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - Salter, Stephanie (1993-04-07). "Feminist Treason and Intellectual Fascism" (reprint). San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved 2007-12-15.
- Underwager, Ralph (1994). Return of the Furies: An Investigation into Recovered Memory Therapy. Open Court Pub Co. p. 360. ISBN 978-0812692716.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|Month=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - Lief, Harold I (1999). "Patients Versus Therapists: Legal Actions Over Recovered Memory Therapy". Psychiatric Times. XVI (11).
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - Hammond, D. Corydon; Brown, Daniel P.; Scheflin, Alan W. (1998). Memory, trauma treatment, and the law. New York: W.W. Norton. ISBN 0-393-70254-5.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Brandon S, Boakes J, Glaser D, Green R (1998). "Recovered memories of childhood sexual abuse. Implications for clinical practice". Br J Psychiatry. 172: 296–307. PMID 9722329.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Lambert, K (2007-10-01). "Brain Stains". Scientific American. Retrieved 2008-01-25.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - Whitfield M.D., Charles L. (1995). Memory and Abuse - Remembering and Healing the Effects of Trauma. Deerfield Beach, FL: Health Communications, Inc. p. 375. ISBN 1-55874-320-0.
- Summit, R. (1983). "The child sexual abuse accommodation syndrome". Child Abuse & Neglect. 7: 177–193.
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